On 7-4-20 at approximately 8:30 a.m. a Deputy with the Uniform Patrol Division of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to Hwy 77 near Piano Rd. to a reported suspicious vehicle parked on the side of the road. As the Deputy approached the vehicle, he observed the driver, Thomas Paul Slavin, asleep in the fetal position in the front seat. Before waking Slavin up the Deputy observed an open beer and what appeared to be a “bong” commonly used to ingest illegal drugs. Upon being awakened, Slavin stated that there was “marijuana and crystal meth” in the vehicle. Slavin was placed under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of methamphetamines, subsequent to a positive field test. As the Deputy was conducting an inventory of the contents of the vehicle and of Slavin’s personal effects, he discovered a $20 bill in the suspect’s wallet which contained a crystallized substance that later tested positive for methamphetamines. The “bong” contained a quantity of liquid which also tested positive for methamphetamines. Additionally, a fake beverage can was located in the door panel which contained seven baggies of methamphetamines along with a bag of what later field tested positive for marijuana and three Alprazolam pills, which are scheduled, controlled narcotics. Total weight of the methamphetamines is estimated at 36.8 grams and total weight of the marijuana is estimated at 5 grams. Slavin was lodged in the Jackson County Correctional Facility to await first appearance, charged with Trafficking in Methamphetamines over 28 Grams, Possession of Schedule lV Control Substances without a Prescription, Possession of Marijuana Under 20 Grams, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Thomas Paul Slavin, 20, Niceville
