First Violator Cited Less Than An Hour After Ordinance Took Effect TAMPA - A stripper, a college student and a lawn maintenance worker were among the first people issued civil citations for possessing small amounts of marijuana since April 1, police records show. Tampa City Council members on March 17 voted 5-1 to adopt the ordinance, intended to prevent offenders from having the lifelong stigma of a criminal record that can hinder job, scholarship and housing opportunities. Council members said it will also free up police and the courts. Nearly 1,900 arrests made by Tampa police last year included charges of possession of small amounts of marijuana. [continues 708 words]
4 Criteria Must Be Met to Receive Only a Citation TAMPA - A new law allowing Tampa police the option of issuing civil citations for those possessing small amounts of marijuana takes effect today. But don't be fooled. The new ordinance does not mean that everyone found with up to 20 grams of weed - about three-quarters of an ounce - will automatically avoid arrest. For instance, if you get pulled over while driving and smoking marijuana, your vehicle will still likely get searched - thanks to the lingering smell, also known as probable cause - while you sit, handcuffed, in the back of a patrol car. [continues 1654 words]
HUDSON - Last year, Richard Paey ate a cold Thanksgiving dinner at Tomoka Correctional Institution with his cellmate, a convicted murderer who had killed a previous cellmate. Paey was surrounded by better food and friendlier faces Thursday. Two months after his 25-year sentence for drug trafficking was overturned, Paey spent the holiday with wife Linda, daughters Catherine and Elizabeth, both 17, son Benjamin, 15, and his mother, Helen. "To be home now means so much," Paey said. "I don't want to even leave for a night. In prison, the phone system doesn't really encourage family unity. A 15-minute call was $5. We'd get these huge phone bills. The phone got turned off several times. That's a frightening thing to happen." [continues 688 words]
HUDSON - The relief on Richard Paey's face was obvious Thursday evening as he was helped from a government vehicle in the driveway of a home he had not seen in more than three years. Amid family, neighbors and a small group of media, the 48-year-old spoke softly. "In the immortal words of Dorothy, 'there's no place like home.' "Freedom is really everything, probably more than life itself," he said. "This is a sign that America is a great country. The system goofed up, but we're willing to address that." [continues 851 words]
