Film as Accomplice

It's an unfortunate fact that the words "illegal window tint" appear in a large number of police reports nationwide. Polling daily news reports from around the country will provide an exhausting number of incidents. Illegal tint is so closely associated with "suspicious vehicles," that officers frequently admit it is one of their number one tools for identifying potential criminals.

Here's a condensed list of what has surfaced in recent days:

Collier County, Fla.-A traffic stop for illegal tint ended in a 26-year-old man's arrest on felony charges. Deputies stopped Joshua Steven Stutzman of Fort Myers because the green Chrysler Stratus he was driving had illegal window tint. While speaking to Stutzman, deputies smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the car. During a search of the vehicle, deputies found a cigarette package containing 67 Roxycodone pills, a prescription narcotic pain reliever, but neither Stutzman nor his passenger had a prescription for the pills, reports said. The search also turned up a glass marijuana pipe and further investigation revealed Stutzman did not have a valid driver's license and that there was a warrant out for his arrest by another law enforcement agency. In the end, a tint violation was the least of his worries, as he was charged with opium trafficking, possession of narcotic equipment and driving without a valid license … La Plata, Md.- Samuel Joseph Bullock, 18, of Ft. Washington, was pulled for a window tint violation. Corporal R. Cuyler of the Charles County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene with her K-9 and performed a scan on the vehicle with a positive alert. Bullock was charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia … Alpharetta, Ga.-Eric Leffingwell, 22, of Alpharetta, was arrested for possession of marijuana after being pulled for a window tint violation … Starkville, Miss.-Brandis Kelu Haynes, 26, of McCool, was cited for driving with an expired license and failure to have a motor vehicle insurance card, after being pulled for a tint violation … the list goes on and on …