JONESBORO, Ark. – A package of pot almost made it to the desired recipient before police intercepted it, thanks to the front desk clerk of a hotel reporting it.
At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, Officer Dustin Smith with JPD arrived at Hilton Garden Inn, 2840 South Caraway Road in Jonesboro, about a package at the front desk that had arrived for one of the guests at the hotel. The package was sealed in a USPS package, sent from Salem, New Hampshire, to Scott M. Vavak, 49, of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Vavak was staying in room 207 of the hotel, the report said, where the package was addressed to. The problem was that the package smelled like marijuana and the front desk clerk noticed it, the report said.
JPD certified narcotics K9 officer, Rico, gave a positive alert to the package, leading police to seize it. Around the same time, Vavak reportedly returned to the hotel and asked the front desk clerk if his package had arrived. The clerk lied and said it had not. As police were getting a search warrant to search the mail, they also began to prepare one for room 207. Judge David Boling signed the warrants.
Authorities made contact with Vavak and told him they had a package for him. "Great," he responded, according to the report, before taking it. They arrested him immediately.
The search warrant yielded little results, with only some rolling papers and a roach found.
The out of state man was taken to Craighead County Detention Center. He faces misdemeanor charges.
This wasn't the only marijuana arrest involving a search warrant Tuesday.
The JPD Street Crimes Unit hit 518 West Matthews Avenue, Apartment 1, in reference to a suspected marijuana dealer living there. A search warrant was signed by Judge Tommy Fowler, leading to the discovery of a Ruger SR40 pistol, a Glock 23 pistol, a number of bullets, and several grams of marijuana in bags and mason jars. Scales were found, too.
Devontae Dewayne Fowler, 19, of Jonesboro, is accused of felony possession with intent to deliver (pot), possession of drug paraphernalia and felony simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms.
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Isn’t it unconstitutional to get a search warrant only on “suspicion “? If that were the case the poor police would be knee deep in “tips” from bitter lovers and quarreling neighbors claiming that they know of criminal activity. So that the police would serve warrants on their enemies to their amusement. There had to be some sort of controlled drug buys or hard evidence before they could get a warrant based on suspicion. I suspect my neighbors are aliens but Scully and Moulder haven’t kicked their door in yet.