Man chews up police car seat after cocaine arrest

A 37-year-old Homestead man was arrested Thursday night after more than 40 grams of cocaine were found in his possession during a traffic stop near Mile Marker 59.

Melvin Stubbs was charged with cocaine trafficking and resisting arrest. He was also charged with property damage for chewing up and/or eating a Sheriff’s Office patrol car seat after he was taken into custody.

Sgt. Mark Jones and Deputy George Zakariadze were conducting traffic enforcement near Mile Marker 59 about 10 p.m. when they saw a white BMW traveling south on U.S. 1 with what appeared to be very dark, illegal window tinting. The deputies stopped the BMW. The driver was identified as Stubbs. Sgt. Jones used a tint meter and found the windows were too dark. Deputy Zakariadze went to his patrol car to write a warning for the window tint when he was notified Stubbs had a warrant for violating probation stemming from cocaine sales.

Both deputies went to detain Stubbs when he began pulling away, then ran away before he was taken to the ground. Stubbs continued to fight and again ran away before he was ultimately shocked by Deputy Zakariadze’s Taser. He was then placed in Deputy Zakariadze’s patrol vehicle. Both deputies then searched a jacket that Stubbs was wearing that came off while he was resisting arrest. Inside the jacket were four baggies containing a white powdery substance that field tested positive for cocaine. The total weight of the cocaine was 41.1 grams.

Deputy William Daniels also arrived on scene. Stubbs began kicking the passenger side of the patrol car door with his feet. Sgt. Jones noticed a large piece of the back seat of the patrol car that Stubbs had chewed off and/or eaten, causing at least $1,000 in damage. Stubbs was placed in a feet restraints. Stubbs was taken to Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon. Stubbs had to be put in a wheelchair and further restrained due to his continued combative behavior. Stubbs was medically cleared at the hospital.

Stubbs was then taken to jail.

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