Quarter-Pound of Pot Allegedly Found in Lynhurstian's Trunk

A Southwest Minneapolis man stopped by police because of illegally tinted windows on his car has been charged with possessing a quarter-pound of marijuana.

John Min Taylor, 21, of the 1900 block of 49th Street West in Lynhurst, faces a felony charge of fifth-degree drug possession, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, compiled by Minneapolis Police Sgt. Thomas Peterson, officers made a traffic stop on Taylor’s car at University Avenue and 18th Avenue Southeast in Minneapolis on March 31 because the car’s side and rear windows had illegal tinting on them.

When police checked Taylor’s identification, they learned that he had an outstanding Hennepin County warrant accusing him of felony drug sales.

Officers said they smelled a strong odor of marijuana from the vehicle, and Taylor admitted that there was a quarter-pound of marijuana in the trunk, according to Peterson’s account.

Police searched the car with the assistance of a K-9 officer and found two bags of suspected marijuana in the trunk, along with a glass bottle containing the drug, according to the complaint. The drugs weighed 111.1 grams.

Taylor is free on a $3,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled May 8 in Hennepin County District Court.