Is It Just Me Or Is This Messed Up?

[MalahatTwo7]

13-Year-Old Found With Crack Cocaine Faces Charges. Boy Was In Car With Drugs, Police Say; Authorities Search For Driver

POSTED: 12:55 pm EDT July 30, 2008
UPDATED: 1:13 pm EDT July 30, 2008


ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A 13-year-old Annapolis boy faces drug charges after police said they found him in a car with 17.2 grams of crack cocaine.

Annapolis police noticed a suspicious looking Lincoln Town Car driving in the 700 block of Newtowne Drive just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

As officers neared the vehicle, the driver got out of the car while it was in reverse and fled on foot, police said. Police said the vehicle struck a police cruiser that was behind it, but there was no damage.

A passenger in the car, a 13-year-old boy, was detained with the car, where cocaine was recovered.

The boy was arrested and charged with possession of drugs with the intent to distribute.

Police are still looking for the driver.

Copyright 2008 by nbc4.com

Ok. In one sentence is reads "13-year-old boy, was detained" - that makes sense.

But then it reads "The boy was arrestd and charged with possession of.. with intent to distribute."

So I ask: Did he actually admit that this was his intent or is someone "leading the witness" to a coerced confession?

What say you, O' ye Lords of the Legal Profession?.


Note: NO, I am not trying to be funny in this one.

[Steamer]

Usually the amount of drug posessed can lead to the legal presumption that the intent to distribute exists. I'm not sure what the amount is in Maryland, but I'd guess that is the reason he was charged in this manner. I know the amount of crack cocaine leading to this presumption is less than powder cocaine.

[Tomcat1066]

Many (all?) states charge everyone in the car if drugs are found in the vehicle, and like Steamer says, there's a presumption of intent to distribute if it's over a certain amount. It looks like the kid may have just be riding with a someone who had it in the car and got busted because of them.

Sucks to be him too. If he's a good kid, this blows the belief that the system works in his mind.

[voyager9]

Maybe I've been watching too much Law & Order, but they probably charged the boy in order to have leverage to persuade him to provide information on the gentleman he was riding with. Along the lines of:
"You were in the car with the drugs, we're charging you for dealing.. unless, of course, you can tell us who they belong to and who you were riding with. If you give us his name we'll let you go."

[doughesson]

Maybe I've been watching too much Law & Order, but they probably charged the boy in order to have leverage to persuade him to provide information on the gentleman he was riding with. Along the lines of:
"You were in the car with the drugs, we're charging you for dealing.. unless, of course, you can tell us who they belong to and who you were riding with. If you give us his name we'll let you go."

Follow up questions:"Okay,this is your cousin's car?That's him over there,right?What's his name again?No really,I have a terrible memory for guy's names.Okay,so when I go to T-Bo over there,is he going to admit that this is his car and his stuff or will he try to lie on you and say it's all yours?I just don't want to cause any trouble for you at Thanksgiving when you have to sit down at his mama's table between her and your other cousins."

[hwoods]

Follow up questions:"Okay,this is your cousin's car?That's him over there,right?What's his name again?No really,I have a terrible memory for guy's names.Okay,so when I go to T-Bo over there,is he going to admit that this is his car and his stuff or will he try to lie on you and say it's all yours?I just don't want to cause any trouble for you at Thanksgiving when you have to sit down at his mama's table between her and your other cousins."

How 'bout that! I never knew that you worked up here..........

[doughesson]

How 'bout that! I never knew that you worked up here..........

No,I just watch a lot of "Cops".Plus,I used to have aspirations to becoming one.My rentacop company was owned by a retired deputy and he wanted all his armed guys to be Reserve Deputies.
I eventually quit both jobs because the security guard job came after working 12 hours on the river 5 days a week,and ran me an additional 24 hours a week.The Reserve program demanded 20 hours a week as well.
I toted up the numbers and figured that I'd have time to sleep in the drive through lane at my favorite fast food places.
That wasn't good.I might have missed noticing if they just handed me an empty sack and think I'd already eaten it already.Guy my size can't live like that.