A Gainesville man was arrested Tuesday on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge after a Hall County sheriff’s deputy found drugs in his book bag outside the Hall County Courthouse. But not before a bomb-sniffing dog was called in to check what a passerby had reported as a suspicious package.
HALL CO. SHERIFF’S OFFICE (HCSO) NARRATIVE:
“According to the initial investigation, Kevin Joseph Cervantes, 20, left his book bag in the courthouse parking deck just outside the judge’s entrance to the courthouse. A citizen alerted a deputy assigned to the courthouse, who in turn notified one of the K9 teams. The K9, trained in explosive detection, did not alert on the bag, but the handler noticed an odor of marijuana coming from the bag. The handler opened the bag and found a baggie containing a small amount of marijuana (less than an ounce) and three sockets commonly used for smoking pot. The handler also found documents identifying the owner of the book bag.
Courthouse deputies were able to locate Mr. Cervantes in a courtroom where he was awaiting a hearing on another charge. He admitted to leaving the book bag unattended in the parking deck. Mr. Cervantes was transported to the Hall County Jail once he was finished with his court appearance.
He posted a bond of $1,300 and was released from jail Wednesday,..”