College Student Studying To Become A Police Officer Arrested On Drug Charges

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, a Homestead man who is at a college in the Florida Keys to become a licenced police officer was detained on campus on felony drug charges on Thursday.

Two counts of felony marijuana possession and two counts of misdemeanour possession of drug paraphernalia are brought against 23-year-old Michael Alexis Ramirez.

Deputies and investigators discovered 120 grams, or roughly 4 ounces, of marijuana in his car while it was parked at The College of the Florida Keys’ Key Largo campus, according to the arrest report.

A digital scale and 60 little plastic bags that might be used to package marijuana for sale were also discovered by the police.

Individuals who successfully complete the Keys College’s basic law enforcement course are qualified law enforcement officers and frequently land jobs with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office or the Key West Police Department. Even some of those departments fund cadets.

Ramirez was detained because several of his students claimed they saw him smoke marijuana in his car, his car frequently had a strong odour coming from the interior, and he was well-known to vape in the classroom, according to Detective Ignacio Molina’s report.

In a statement, sheriff Rick Ramsay expressed his relief that Ramirez was detained before becoming a police officer.

“I want to thank those who came forward in this case, which led to this man’s arrest before he became a law enforcement officer,” Ramsay said.

Ramirez was approached by Molina Thursday night in class, and he requested him to go outside. Ramirez granted him permission to search his car when he requested it. The search was assisted by a deputy and the course instructor, a Homestead police officer.

As Molina opened the car door, he immediately noticed a strong odor, according to the report. According to Molina, the drugs were discovered in a sizable black and clear bag that was situated on the floorboard of the car behind the front seat.

Ramirez remained behind bars on Friday evening; no information regarding his bond was immediately available. It was also not immediately known who his attorney was.