According to Southern Pines Police Chief Bob Temme on this past Friday, June 23, 2017, at approximately 6:00 PM, on U.S. Highway 1 near Pennsylvania Avenue, the Southern Pines Police Department located over five (5) pounds of high grade marijuana, which appeared to have fallen from a vehicle.

In a post on the departments Facebook page Monday Chief Temme is quoted as saying “The Southern Pines Police Department takes pride in many of its accomplishments, including the timely return of property to its rightful owners, further establishing the department’s reputation as an honest, reputable agency worthy of the public’s confidence and trust.

Of course, once the owner comes forward to claim the lost marijuana, we will make an arrest, photograph and fingerprint the owner, and promptly transport them see a Magistrate and subsequently place them in jail.

We will also contact the North Carolina Department of Revenue to recover the unpaid controlled substance taxes owed on the marijuana. This is payable upon demand, and if the owner of the marijuana cannot pay it on the day and time he/she is arrested, we will gladly assist the Department of Revenue in taking the owners, car, jewelry, televisions, and any other items of value, up to the amount of the tax owed.

We additionally will see that court costs are imposed and that the police department is reimbursed for lab fees and investigative resources.

We take seriously our mission to reunite owners of lost property with their valuables. It is for this reason, our Crime Scene Technicians and in house Evidence Processing Examiners have already begun the process of lifting fingerprints from the items recovered, as well as collecting DNA samples from the recovered marijuana packaging.

While it is always rewarding when lost property owners present themselves to be reunited with their lost property, it is equally rewarding, and honestly more fun, reuniting the owners of lost property through science and a search warrant.

If you were the owner of the lost marijuana on U.S. 1, and had an employee transporting the lost property for you, I would recommend docking your employee $6,000.00 as that was the estimated street value of the lost property.”

According to Chief Temme officials believe that it may have been more than 5 pounds of marijuana that initially landed beside of the roadway. The investigation is ongoing.