OKEECHOBEE — A 20-year-old Okeechobee man was arrested Monday evening after he was allegedly found to be in possession of controlled substances.
Felipe De Jesus Aguirre, Southeast Sixth Street, was arrested on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance (cannabis) within 1,000 feet of a specified area, possession of a controlled substance (cannabis) without a valid prescription, possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) without a valid prescription and misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of alcoholic beverage by person under age 21. His bond was set at $20,500.
Felipe De Jesus Aguirre, 20
According to an arrest report by Deputy Greg Mullen, of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), at 10:11 p.m. on July 30, he was on patrol, when he saw a group of five individuals standing by a bench at Lock 7. As he approached them, he reportedly could smell the odor of cannabis come from the rear passenger side of a green Ford F-150 pickup truck. The report noted that the above window was completely down.
Deputy Mullen was able to speak with one of the individuals, later identified as Aguirre, who reportedly appeared nervous for not making eye contact. The report stated that Deputy Mullen was able to see a 24 Twisted Tea beverage, black scale and a rolled up dollar bill on the top of the center console. The black scale upon further examination appeared to have white residue on the measuring platform and inside the dollar bill was also white residue.
The scale and dollar bill were tested and gave a positive result for the presence of cocaine, per the report.
The report continued that upon further searching the vehicle, two zip-lock style plastic bags and one large sealed plastic bag located on the back middle seat of the vehicle contained what appeared to be suspected cannabis. The two smaller bags were labeled with a black permanent marker, “Grand daddy” and “Banana kush” while the last one was “Mr. Nice,” noted the report.
The report stated that the bags of suspected cannabis were field tested and gave a positive result for the presence of cannabis.
The report concluded that Aguirre was placed in hand restraints and read his Miranda warning before being arrested, transported and booked into the Okeechobee County Jail on the aforementioned charges. The vehicle was towed by BMJ Towing Inc. Digital photographs were taken of all items collected and then submitted as evidence. A digital video was recorded and placed into evidence as well, of Aguirre and another individual in possession of all three plastic bags that contained the suspected cannabis.
The total weight of the cannabis collected was 760 grams or 1.7 lbs.