Man Accused of Trafficking Vaseline-Coated Marijuana with Children in Backseat of Car

Mentor Police K-9 Titan assisted in the felony drug arrest of a man who officers said had seven bundles of marijuana in the trunk of a car he rode in.

Dontae M. Dennis, 28, of Rochester, N.Y. was the passenger of a car that was pulled over Thursday night while traveling on Interstate 90. Mentor's Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) unit called on Titan at some point during the traffic stop, and the dog smelled marijuana coming from the trunk. Dennis then admitted that drugs were in the trunk, Police Lt. Tim Allen said.

Police found seven separate bundles of marijuana wrapped in balls of paper towels and coated in Vaseline, totaling 36.6 grams. Allen said Dennis told police he used the Vaseline in an attempt to mask the smell from a woman who drove the car and her three children in the backseat.

The woman who drove the car and the children, who did not belong to Dennis, were released, Allen said. They said they were en route from Rochester to Kentucky.

"We weren't able to show that she was aware (of the drugs), so we just charged him," Allen said.

Dennis was arrested for fifth-degree felony drug trafficking. He was scheduled to appear in Mentor Municipal Court Friday morning.