Police arrested a 23-year-old Stamford man last Wednesday afternoon after discovering, with the help of the department’s new K-9 dog, marijuana and smoking gear during a traffic stop.
Apollo, New Canaan’s new K-9 dog, with Officer David Rivera. Credit: Bella Carpi
At about 1:53 p.m. on July 29, an officer stopped a car traveling south on Old Stamford Road when he noticed that it didn’t have a Department of Motor Vehicles-issued inspection sticker for after-market tints on his front and rear windows, according to a police report.
During the stop, the officer smelled burnt marijuana coming from inside the car and asked the driver whether there were any drugs in the vehicle, the report said.
The driver responded no, and after he was asked to exit the car, Apollo the new K-9 dog was dispatched to the scene and swiftly found pot, a smoking pipe and two yellow pills later determined to be the drug known as ‘Ecstasy,’ the report said.
The drugs were in the center console of the car and inside a media player box, the report said.
The incident marks the first time that the brand-new K-9 unit’s work led directly to an arrest, records show.
The motorist was charged with possession of a hallucinogenic substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and interfering with an officer, and was cited for obstructed view (for the tinted windows).
He was released on $2,500 bond and scheduled to appear Aug. 11 in state Superior Court in Norwalk.