A 19-year-old Ocala man was arrested on drug and evidence tampering charges after he allegedly threw a bag of marijuana out his car window while being pulled over for driving at night with his headlights off.
Joaquin Antonio Hobdy, of 1421 SW 27th Ave., Apt. 2407, was behind the wheel of a blue SUV that a Marion County sheriff’s deputy observed driving without headlights at around 10:30 p.m. last Sunday on Marion Oaks Boulevard. The deputy initiated a traffic stop after Hobdy turned onto West Highway 484, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy saw Hobdy throw a clear plastic bag out of the driver’s side window at the 3800 block of West Highway 484 before coming to a stop. When the deputy told Hobdy that he saw him throw the bag, Hobdy said he was going to be honest and admitted the baggie contained 8 ounces of marijuana, the report said.
Another deputy retrieved the bag from the roadway and saw it contained a green leafy substance but there was much less than what Hobdy said there was. It was estimated to be less than 20 grams. The substance field-tested positive for marijuana. Hobdy also had rolling papers in his possession, according to the report.
Hobdy was charged with possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and destruction of evidence. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Tuesday on $2,100 bond. He’ll appear in Marion County Court on March 24.