Stock Island man charged with marijuana

A Stock Island man was arrested Saturday afternoon on multiple charges including possession of over 100 grams of marijuana.

Traffic Deputy Greg Korzen was on patrol at 1 p.m. when he saw a silver Chevrolet Impala on Fourth Avenue, Stock Island. The car was driving erratically, weaving and crossing the center line of the roadway. Deputy Korzen also noticed one of the brake lights was not working, so he pulled behind the vehicle. The vehicle stopped in a nearby parking lot and the deputy pulled in behind it.

As Deputy Korzen approached the vehicle he could smell an odor he recognized as marijuana. The driver had no driver’s license and said he had just purchased the car and had not yet registered it. He said he was driving erratically because the steering mechanism was in “bad shape” and needed repair. He said he’d put his girlfriend’s license plate on the car in order to drive it to the store.

A search of the vehicle turned up four plastic bags in the trunk; in each bag were 50 buds of marijuana. The marijuana weighed 103 grams.

The driver, Clifford Leconte, was arrested. He was charged with possessing a felony amount of the illegal substance. He was also charged with possessing drug paraphernalia after rolling papers were found in the car. He was cited for attaching a tag not assigned to the vehicle, failing to exhibit a driver’s license, having no proof of insurance and driving his vehicle in an unsafe condition.