According to police, Rickardo Thomas intended to dial Jamaica when he picked up the phone on July 15 around 7:30 p.m. Instead, he accidentally dialed 911.
To call Jamaica from the United States, one has to dial 011 plus the 876 area code; it seems Thomas was a number off on the first three digits. When he realized that, he hung up and completed the call he intended.
Meanwhile, an emergency dispatcher sent an officer to Thomas’ home because of the dropped 911 call. When the officer arrived, he didn’t find an emergency, but he did find a lot of marijuana.
“He first smelled a strong odor of marijuana and then he noticed marijuana plants growing on the deck around the back of the house,” said Sgt. Brian Pfaff of Bedminster police.
Authorities then obtained a search warrant for Thomas’ home. According to Pfaff, they seized 103 live marijuana plants that were in various stages of growth.
They found 88 separate packages of processed marijuana and 11 pot plants that were cut and hung up to dry. The plant is dried before it is packaged for sale.
Thomas’ property will be seized as a drug forfeiture and auctioned off, Henry said. An auction date has not been scheduled.
via PhillyBurbs.com: Man’s accidental 911 call leads to arrest, drug charges .
I present this as a Stupid Stoner Story only because Thomas had already pleaded guilty to drug dealing charges in another case and was scheduled for sentencing in April, and because he was growing a commercial-level amount of plants out in the open following that plea.
The misdialing 911 part isn’t stupid, in fact, it illustrates yet another unintended social harm from marijuana prohibition. Suppose Thomas did need to call 911 because he heard a gunshot or some domestic violence next door, or saw a prowler or wanted criminal? Is he going to let people or property come to harm because he won’t call 911 and bring the cops down on his grow? How many cannabis consumers, even those not growing and just using personally, avoid going to police when a non-cannabis consumer wouldn’t even hestitate?
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An excellent point. Some friends of mine have recently had some troubles. Someone entering their apartment without permission, at night, snooping on computers etc. But they have paraphanalia all over the apartment and nowhere to take it, so they’ve never contacted the police. They got the locks changed and it seems to have stopped.
But suppose it was something serious? This is 2 girls, living alone, feeling that they can’t contact the police for fear of getting in trouble over Marijuana, when some stranger is entering their home.
I keep only small amounts of weed. 1/4 oz or less and I keep my pipe and stuff hidden. Nothing laying around at my house to be seen.
It seems to me that some of the stupid stoners are people who just don’t care about the law or what may happen to them. They are sticken it to the man, so to say.
Here is ANOTHER classic indication that the prohibition itself, is more harmful than cannabis could EVER be. As a daily user, NOT grower, I would honestly say that if anything were to happen where I would need the police, it would have to be a SERIOUS occasion, and even than… I would have to get all of my paraphanellia and cannabis out of my home. So god forbid if someone in my home needs medical attention, they would have to wait at LEAST 20 minutes before I could call 911.
Moral of the story?
DON’T BE A STEREOTYPE