Upon further review… crime caught on tape
Instant replay led to charges against a local man this week after he was caught on tape committing the very crime he denied minutes earlier.
The suspect, Courtney D. Martin, 18, is charged with criminal littering for tossing a bag containing a powdery substance out the passenger-side window of a vehicle as it was being pulled over by police this week. The bag tested negative for meth and cocaine and has been sent off for analysis to determine if it is a controlled substance. In the meantime, Martin faces littering charges.
Martin was cited for the offense when police pulled over the vehicle in which he was a passenger. Lawmen observed the vehicle weaving and made the traffic stop. The driver was not charged.
Questions arose when police found the bag containing the powdery substance, lying on the ground by the passenger door. When questioned, Martin denied the bag belonged to him, challenging the officer to review the tape in his in-car video camera. The officer took Martin up on the challenge and reviewed the tape. City patrol cars are equipped with video recorders which are activated when a traffic stop is being made.
While looking at the replay, the officer saw the bag come out of the passenger window, apparently thrown as the officer was getting out of his car during the stop.
The crime of criminal littering is a misdemeanor; however, should the substance come back as an illegal narcotic, the charges could be more severe.