When in doubt, it’s probably not a good idea to ship felony amounts pot to your workplace—especially not on your day off.
A box containing about three pounds of cannabis was found in a parcel at a used car dealership, which was addressed to an employee at CarMax in Gastonia, North Carolina, according to the Gastonia Police Department (GPD). Employees at CarMax regularly receive parcels at work, but this particular box was suspicious enough for them to investigate. The box was shipped from a location in Hollywood, California, where weed is legal, but not in that large of an amount.
The CarMax employee, Michael Williams, 39, unfortunately was not at work on the day the package arrived, so he could not hide it to keep it under wraps. Williams’ fellow employees called authorities when they found the box, and police confiscated the pot.
Local police officers were not done, however: They refilled the box with three pounds of weights to mimic the bags of weed, setting up Williams to incriminate himself. This was the evidence they needed to cite him and send him to jail.
“[We] put some items in the box that weighed roughly three pounds, resealed the box, and waited for the suspect, Mr. Williams, to come to work to claim that package,” Rick Goodale with GPD told the Charlotte Observer. The GPD posted a photo of what appears to be three pound-sized vacuum-sealed bags that were in the parcel.
When Williams returned to CarMax to report for work on his next shift, he confirmed the package was meant for him. Police officers then placed him under arrest on May 22.
California allows adults 21 and over to possess cannabis, but only 28.5 grams of personal cannabis without a specific license. Also, shipping pot over state lines is always a no-no. Finding cannabis in this amount at someone’s workplace is out of the ordinary.
“Most of the time, it’s going to houses, it’s very unusual to go to a business,” Goodale said.
Police officers with the GPD believe William’s operation has been going on for some time.
Williams is out on bond after posting bail. In North Carolina, 1.5 ounces to 10 lbs of cannabis is considered a felony, with punishments of 3-8 months in jail, and a $1,000 fine, NORML indicates.
CarMax Under Scrutiny
CarMax attempted to distance itself from Williams, saying that he wasn’t directly employed by them—just a contractor. They released a statement last Wednesday, saying, “CarMax was founded on integrity and doing the right thing and we appreciate the quick response from the local police department.”
Hiring contractors can be advantageous when there are fluctuating workloads, but it’s also a way companies can avoid supplying benefits.
While it’s common to find lemons at CarMax, finding pot at a location is something entirely new.
CarMax has been under increased scrutiny due to the massive number of complaints alleging that lemons are being sold at its dealerships, The Lemon Firm reports. The Lemon Firm was founded by one of California’s top lemon law trial attorneys, Michael H. Rosenstein.
In some cases, CarMax patrons said they were not informed that the vehicles they were purchasing had been involved in accidents or had other major damages. Others allege that CarMax misrepresented the current condition of the cars, leading them to believe they were getting a stellar deal. Read what some Reddit users have said about the situation.
