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Bloomfield driver accused of driving under the influence of marijuana

When a Bloomfield driver was stopped after allegedly speeding through Bloomfield, the officer said the odor of marijuana came wafting out of his red Charger. The driver went to jail and the Charger was towed.

Gavin Scott Johnson

Gavin Scott Johnson, 20, Bloomfield, was arrested by Lt. Marvin Holt of the Bloomfield Police Department early Saturday, June 19.

Lt. Holt was working the night shift that night. Around 1:36 a.m., he saw a red 2010 Dodge Charger driving in Bloomfield at speeds that were not safe. Lt. Holt continued to observe and when he turned his radar on at one point, he clocked the Charger going 62 mph in a 35 mph zone. When he pulled in behind the Charger, he paced the Charger going 83 mph for about a half-mile in a 50 mph zone. When he used the radar, the reading was 78 mph. He initiated a traffic stop on State Road 54 east of Bloomfield.

The driver was identified as Gavin Johnson. Lt. Holt reported he could smell the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the Charger and ne noticed Johnson’s hands were shaking and he appeared nervous. He saw a small metal pipe in the middle console, positioned in such a way he could see unburnt marijuana in the pipe. He also noticed a bag of what appeared to be marijuana sitting in the passenger seat.

Johnson alleged admitted he had smoked marijuana just before leaving his girlfriend’s house and it would still be in his system. Johnson agreed for his car to be searched.

Lt. Holt reported finding a small amount of what appeared to be marijuana in the bag in the passenger seat along with the pipe with unburnt marijuana, a wooden box used to store the pipe, a plastic bag under the front seat that contained 26.82 grams of marijuana, another smoking device with freshly burnt green plant material, a hand-rolled cigarette/roach, a container with a black tar substance believed to be marijuana/butter, a digital scale and two glass jars with shake residue. He also found two bottles of fake urine in a compartment on the driver’s door.

Johnson reportedly failed standard field sobriety testing then agreed to a blood draw. He was transported to Greene County General for the blood draw – results pending, then transported to the sheriff’s department where he was booked into jail at 3:53 a.m.

Johnson’s bond was set at $5,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $550 and was released from custody later the same day.

Johnson appeared in Greene Superior Court last week for his initial hearing. He’s been charged with:

  • Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor,

  • Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor,

  • Operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance in the body, a Class C misdemeanor,

  • Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and

  • Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.