When a police officer last Thursday saw a driver disobey “No Turn on Red” signs at Ledge Road and the Post Road, it led to marijuana possession charges for the Darien driver.
Town police gave this account of the matter (with accusations not proven in court):
Darien Police K-9 Unit: Officer Nicholas Aranzullo, the K-9 handler, and K-9 Zulu
The officer, who happened to be the department’s K-9 officer, Nicholas Aranzullo (with police K-9 Zulu) saw the illegal right turn at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24.
The driver, a 53-year-old man with a Mansfield Avenue address, said he didn’t see the signs. The officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked the driver if he had some in the car.
The driver said he’d been smoking marijuana earlier, but didn’t have any with him. The officer, Aranzullo, then said that Zulo would conduct a “free air sniff” of the vehicle. The driver then said that he did indeed have marijuana in the car.
Zulo indicated he smelled marijuana in several areas of the vehicle. A small, black and clear medication bag had a small amount of a green, leafy substance consistent with marijuana. The driver was charged with possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana, an infraction, and issued a ticket.
The driver was issued a verbal warning concerning turning right on a red light when there’s a sign forbidding it.