A 41-year-old homeless man was arrested but later released on Wednesday, Oct. 28, after being caught trying to sell marijuana on the streets of Santa Monica.
At 1 pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department who were on routine patrol in the downtown area received information that a man, know as “Frank,” was purveying marijuana and other controlled mood-altering substances in the area.
The officers were aware of this “Frank” character from previous encounters and so went in search of the man. The officers soon located this “Frank” outside Santa Monica Public Library, located at 601 Santa Monica Blvd., and asked him if they could have a chat.
“Frank” agreed and the officers asked him if they could take a peep inside his backpack as well as taking a look at his cellphone.
“Frank” said, “Okay,” so the officers looked inside the backpack and discovered several containers of marijuana in addition to a set of scales.
The officers also discovered numerous suspicious text messages on “Frank’s” cellphone.
The officers believed that “Frank” was selling marijuana and given that “Frank” was not an approved medical marijuana dispensary the officers arrested him.
This homeless man was later released on his own recognizance pending a decision on this case from the District Attorney.
Editor’s Note: These reports are part of a regular police coverage series entitled “Alert Police Blotter” (APB), which injects some minor editorial into certain police activities in Santa Monica. Not all of The Mirror’s coverage of incidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. More serious crimes and police-related activities are regularly reported without editorial in the pages of the Santa Monica Mirror and its website, smmirror.com.
