Crime & Safety

Dorchester Man Arrested with Pot

After traffic stop, Brookline Police allegedly smell marijuana in the car and arrest the passenger.

A Boston man is facing an intent to distribute charge after an early morning traffic stop on Washington Street yesterday.

Tahj Townsend, 24, of Dorchester, was arrested at 4:20 a.m. on Feb. 4, and charged with possession of controlled substance with intent to distribute, Class D.

According to a Brookline Police report, at around 3:40 a.m., officers observed a Honda straddle a white lane marker while driving south on Washington Street towards Boylston.

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The car was pulled over at Washington and Walnut streets.

An officer approached the driver and asked for his license and registration. The driver complied.

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“While interacting with the driver, (the officer) detected a strong odor of unburnt marijuana emanating from the cabin of the vehicle,” the reporting officer alleged.

The driver was asked if he had any marijuana in the car. While interacting with the driver, an officer noticed a black backpack on the floor near the passenger’s feet.

“It appeared as though he was trying to cover the bag with his legs,” the officer alleged.

The officer asked if there was marijuana in the bag and the man, later identified as Townsend, “shrugged and put his hand in the air, as if to indicate that he did not know.” Townsend “did not verbally respond to the question,” the reporting officer noted, and appeared to be avoiding eye contact.

Townsend was asked for an ID and he produced a passport.

Later, while interacting with Townsend, the reporting officer alleged that he had more than an ounce of marijuana in the backpack. He was then arrested. A criminal complaint has been filed with Brookline District Court, according to police.

No other illegal items were found in the car. 

The driver was given a summons for failing to drive within marked lane.


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