On Saturday, January 5, 2019 police from the Calvert County Sheriff Office received a traffic complaint about a silver Toyota Corolla travelling southbound on Southern Maryland Blvd in Dunkirk, swerving all over the road.
Police observed the vehicle on Southern Maryland Blvd in the area of Ward Road. The driver, later identified by his passport as Jose Luis Ortiz Velaquez, 25 of Huntingtown, appeared to be dozing off at the steering wheel. The vehicle drifted off the road and Velaquez quickly applied the brakes.
Upon making contact with the driver, Velaquez told police that his license was suspended and that he did not have it. While talking with Velaquez, police could smell a strong odor of raw marijuana emitting from the vehicle.
The officer asked Velaquez where the “weed” was and were told by Velaquez, that he smoked it.
Police had Velaquez exit the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs. A search of the vehicle located a brown wallet in glove box and in the wallet were nine Suboxone strips and three small blue zip lock bags that appeared to have a white powdery substance in them.
Further search of the vehicle revealed a bottle with a yellow liquid in it and the bottle had a thermometer strip on the side. When asked about the bottle, Velaquez told police that he smokes weed and uses it for urine tests at work.
Velaquez was arrested and transported to Calvert County Detention Center and once there a strip search was conducted by Corrections Officers. During the pat down, a razor and two small clear zip lock baggies containing white powder residue was located in a folded-up piece of cardboard in the upper left pocket of his jacket.
Once the booking process was complete, the officer went out to his patrol car and conducted a search of his vehicle. Located under the front passenger seat in the area where Velaquezs’ feet had been, the officer found a clear red bag containing marijuana, a small clear zip lock bag with a Nike emblem on it containing a tan powdery substance, and a keno ticket containing a tan powdery substance.
Velaquez was asked about the three items found and told police that the tan powder was heroin and the red bag contained marijuana.
Velaquez was charged with CDS possession not marijuana, CDS paraphernalia, CDS paraphernalia, CDS paraphernalia, possession contraband place of confinement, and alter drug/alcohol test.
On January 6, 2019 Velaquez was released on a $5,000 bond and is due in district court on April 18, 2019.
