At 1 a.m. on April 25 Charles County Sheriff’s Officer J. Timko responded to a playground in the 4500 block of Grouse Place in Waldorf for a citizen’s report of loitering.
Upon arrival, Officer Timko observed five people run from him.
He exited his cruiser, detected the smell of burnt marijuana, pursued the group and saw them enter a Chevrolet Cavalier. He ordered them to stop and observed one of the passengers exit the vehicle. He ordered the passenger back into the vehicle and the passenger eventually complied.
Officer Timko then observed a plastic bag underneath the car where the passenger had been standing. Officer E. Webster arrived on the scene to assist. While Officer Webster searched the playground, Officer Timko determined the bag underneath the car contained marijuana. Officer Webster located another bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia on the playground.
The five people in the car were subsequently arrested for drug possession.
Further investigation revealed an occupant of the vehicle, Kedar Hasmell Reid, 27, of Waldorf, was wanted for failing to appear in court for a previous drug charge. A subsequent search of Reid revealed he was in possession of additional marijuana.
Officer Timko also found approximately $250 worth of cocaine inside a keychain attached to the driver’s keys.
All five occupants of the vehicle, John Russell Collett, 19, of Crofton, Warren Rochester Smith, 18, of Waldorf, Joshua Lamont Venson, 18, of Waldorf, Bryan Keith Francis, 18, of McKeesport, Pa. and Reid were charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The street value of the marijuana was about $55. Venson, the driver of the vehicle, was also charged with possession of cocaine. They were being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before a district court commissioner.