Man on pre-trial release arrested for selling drugs

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tamaris Lorenzo Roberson, 25, was arrested yesterday for selling drugs; at the time, he was on pre-trial release following a May arrest for selling drugs.

At about 6:30 p.m. on December 9, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a car for having window tint that appeared to be darker than the legal limit. The window tint reportedly measured at 1%, darker than the legal limit of 28%.

The deputy reported a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the car, and he also saw marijuana “shake” inside the car, along with a box of empty baggies on the back seat.

After Roberson objected that the deputy was searching the vehicle, the deputy explained that he saw marijuana in plain view, and Roberson reportedly provided his medical marijuana card, said it was all legal marijuana, and said he had smoked marijuana inside the car, earlier in the day.

The deputy reported that the smell of burnt marijuana, the “shake” in plain view, and Roberson’s statement that he had smoked in the vehicle earlier provided probable cause to search the vehicle. The search reportedly produced a bag containing 116 grams of marijuana, five additional bags containing a total of 59.5 grams of marijuana, four empty medical marijuana prescription bags labeled with Roberson’s name, a scale, a sealed bottle of promethazine hydrochloride oral solution, and over $900 in cash (mostly $20 bills). The marijuana was reportedly prepackaged in common weights for street sales.

Post Miranda, Roberson reportedly said that only 14 grams of the marijuana was purchased from a dispensary and that he was selling the marijuana and the promethazine.

Roberson has been charged with maintaining a rented vehicle for the purpose of selling drugs, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of a legend drug (promethazine) with intent to sell, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has no criminal convictions but was arrested in May for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and possession of a concealed firearm during the commission of a felony and was released on $100,000 bail. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $220,000 on the new charges.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.