Marijuana, Gun, Cash Seized After Jeep Speeds Through School Zone: Cops

SARASOTA, FL — A Sarasota man found out the hard way Wednesday that speeding through a school zone is a pretty good way to catch a police officer’s attention.

According to the Sarasota Police Department, an officer was conducting traffic enforcement near Southside Elementary on Wednesday morning when he spotted a Jeep Cherokee doing 38 mph in the posted 15 mph zone. The officer followed the Jeep and proceeded to make a traffic stop, an email from the agency said.

Police say Tyran Wilkerson turned into a nearby parking lot, passed by a few open spots and then finally parked between two vehicles. Wilkerson opened his door, closed it and then cracked the window, the email said.

When the officer walked up to the Jeep, Wilkerson “appeared very nervous, was shaking and stuttering his speech,” the email said. The officer asked Wilkerson to keep his door closed and said he would be back with him shortly. As the officer returned to his patrol car, Wilkerson is accused of jumping out of the Jeep and running away. He was, however, caught after a short pursuit, the email noted.

Once in custody, Wilkerson told the officer, “he was dumb for running and shouldn’t have done it,” the email said.

Following the chase, the officer noticed a red can in Wilkerson’s hand. When he checked it, he found 9.7 grams of marijuana hidden inside. After searching the Jeep, officers turned up $1,070 in cash, six cell phones and a loaded 9 mm Smith & Wesson, the email said.

Wilkerson now faces possession of marijuana with intent to sell, resisting law enforcement without violence, carrying a concealed weapon and driving without a license charges.

Photos courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department