Unicoi Police charge young man found with minor and drugs on school grounds

Published 11:09 am Tuesday, September 22, 2020

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UNICOI — The Town of Unicoi Police Department recently issued a criminal summons to Jacob W. Mace for simple possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Around 8:50 p.m. on September 5, Unicoi Police officers were patrolling the village area of the town when they observed Jacob Mace walking onto the covered pavilion at Unicoi Elementary School with a minor. Because of continuing vandalism and drug problems within the pavilion, officers decided to approach the two to inform them that leadership at the school has requested no one be trespassing on the property after dark.
Upon approaching, officers noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the two subjects and both had glassy, glazed-over eyes. Their pupils were dilated, and their eyes were red. Mace had a black backpack that was strongly emitting the odor of marijuana. When asked by officers if he had anything illegal in the bag, Mace quickly opened the backpack and said “no.” His effort to quickly open the bag resulted in officers noticing a glass marijuana pipe, which led officers to ask Mace to place the bag down and step away from it. Both subjects openly admitted to smoking marijuana directly before entering the pavilion.
Upon learning the subjects’ ages, the minor was released into the custody of their legal guardian while officers asked for consent to search Mace’s backpack. He gave verbal consent and inside the bag, officers found and seized 12.1 grams of marijuana in a clear plastic bag and several items of paraphernalia.
Mace was written a criminal summons citation with a court date set for November at the Unicoi County General Sessions Court. He was instructed to check in with the jail for booking within 10 days of his arrest.
For more information, email police@unicoitn.net or call (423) 220-0025.

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