He was being pulled over in Florida. Then his passenger threw out a cigar, police say

A law enforcement officer’s “sharp” vision helped with a drug bust Tuesday in Southwest Florida, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities say deputies out on patrol in Immokalee observed a white, four-door sedan drive by at around 4 p.m. One of the deputies “immediately recognized” the driver as James Robert Pender, 36, and stopped the car. There was an active felony warrant out for the Fort Myers man’s arrest in nearby Hendry County.

As Pender was pulling over, deputies observed the front-seat passenger toss a cigar out the window of the car, a Chevrolet Cruze. The cigar was field tested and found to contain amphetamines.

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During a search, deputies found 20.63 grams of amphetamines in Pender’s waistband. Pender was arrested and charged with possession of trafficking amphetamine, a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system.

The passenger, 42-year-old Tasha Davidson of Clewiston, was also taken into custody on possession charges.

“This arrest was the result of excellent proactive patrolling by a deputy, and the illicit narcotics that were recovered won’t ever make it to the streets of Collier County,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said.

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