Holmes Beach police officers arrested Bradenton resident Vince Williams, 31, on a third-degree felony Oct. 1 for possession of a controlled substance.
A Holmes Beach officer parked outside Anna Maria Elementary School on Gulf Drive saw a motorist drive into the lot after school hours and noticed an inoperable taillight.
The officer approached the motorist, later identified as Williams, to warn him about the broken taillight.
With “no articulable suspicion to impede” Williams, the officer allowed the motorist to leave.
Then, later that night, the officer saw the motorist park the vehicle at the end of a dead-end residential street and turn off the lights but remain in the vehicle.
The officer observed the motorist and called for backup.
The motorist began to leave when backup arrived but officers conducted a traffic stop and asked to search the vehicle, which Williams allowed.
During the search, HBPD found several pills later identified as Adderall and diazepam, both controlled substances. Williams did not have prescriptions for the drugs.
The officers arrested Williams and transported him to the Manatee County jail, where he was released Oct. 2 after posting $1,500 bond.
Conviction on a third-degree felony is punishable with up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.
An arraignment will be at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.