Taylor F. Smith, 40, of Lakeland, Florida, pleaded guilty on September 25, the day after his arrest, to misdemeanor possession, speeding and resisting arrest. He received a 60-day jail sentence, according to NEA Report. The outlet’s account of the police report lists other charges, including two counts of possession with purpose to deliver a Schedule I or II controlled substance, possession with purpose to deliver a Schedule VI controlled substance involving more than 14 grams but less than four ounces, possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree assault.
What the reported search found
NEA Report, recounting the trooper’s report, says officers found about an ounce of marijuana in dispensary jars inside a stapled-shut bag and about half a fluid ounce of brown liquid in a dropper bottle, both in a storage tote behind the driver’s seat. The report describes the liquid’s field-test result as presumptively positive for LSD and methamphetamine and contains no laboratory confirmation. It also says a trooper found about 14 grams of mushrooms in a plastic bag inside Smith’s personal hygiene bag in the rear cargo area. After being read his rights, Smith said he had marijuana and mushrooms in the vehicle and said the mushrooms had caused him to panic.
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety’s Forensic Toxicology page lists gas chromatography-mass spectrometry among methods used by the state crime lab. That information does not establish whether the liquid in this case underwent laboratory testing; NEA Report’s account says the police report includes no lab confirmation.
Stop and arrest
According to NEA Report’s account of the police report, Arkansas State Police Trooper Billy Puckett stopped Smith’s white Chevrolet Traverse on northbound I-55 in Crittenden County on September 24. Puckett reported that the SUV passed his patrol vehicle near the 24-mile marker at about 85 mph in a 75-mph zone and reached roughly 90 mph as he pursued it. The stop occurred near the 26-mile marker. Smith said the SUV was a rental and gave the trooper insurance information for his personal vehicle.
Puckett reported that Smith appeared nervous and that he smelled marijuana near the vehicle. Smith acknowledged having marijuana and a Florida medical marijuana license. The trooper’s account says Smith became emotional as potential charges were discussed and resisted arrest. It alleges that Smith grabbed Puckett’s groin during the struggle. NEA Report says video it obtained shows Puckett taking Smith to the ground. Emergency medical personnel examined Smith at the scene and found no serious injuries. He was later taken to the Crittenden County Detention Center, where a jail nurse examined him and cleared him for admission.
