This story demonstrates why having an experienced criminal attorney can
make the difference between freedom and jail.
Imagine you are pulled over by the police for forgetting to turn on your
headlights and then winding up in jail for cocaine charges. Now imagine
that cocaine you were charged for was really drywall powder. That is exactly
what happened to Karlos Cashe who served 3 months in jail for possession
of cocaine.
The police K-9 dog even alerted on his vehicle and the police officer's
field test was positive for cocaine. The entire time he waited in jail
for the state's lab test to prove it was drywall.
Read the full story below:
OVIEDO, Fla. -- A Florida man spent 90 days in jail after police officers
who stopped him for driving without headlights said white powder found
in his car was cocaine.
Karlos Cashe walked out of jail last week after lab results determined
the powder in the handyman's car was actually drywall.
Body camera video of the incident shows Cashe, 57, telling the officer
in Oviedo that he didn't realize the lights weren't on and apologizing
for the misunderstanding.
He denies having anything illegal in his car when an officer asks. Cashe
says he repeatedly told officers the substance was drywall.
But after running a check they found he was on probation for marijuana
and cocaine charges in 2015. Cashe says a K-9 alerted on his vehicle and
an officer's field test was positive for cocaine.
Court records show he was denied bond because he was accused of violating
probation.
Oviedo police told CBS affiliate WKMG prosecutors sent the substance to
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for lab testing. When the results
came back on May 16, they showed that substance was negative for any kind of drugs.
It took another month until Cashe was released from jail on June 19, the
station reports. He told WKMG he blames racial profiling for the incident
and that he's looking into a way to be compensated for the three months
of work he missed while he was being held in jail.
"I was profiled. It wasn't the first time, it just was just the
worst of those times," Cashe said.
The Oviedo Police Department told the station it plans to reevaluate its
field testing procedures. They say their field test kits are 99 percent accurate.
"I was going to jail for something that night, and what it was they
decided it would be cocaine," Cashe said.
This story, including the video, can be found at: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/karlos-cashe-jailed-after-drywall-mistaken-for-cocaine-during-traffic-stop-florida/