Alcohol-Related Crash Leads Cops to Drugs, Cash

Sarasota Police might have never known a man driving along South Tamiami Trail Saturday morning was carrying 172.6 grams of marijuana and $5,540 in cash had he not hit another vehicle while trying to make a U-turn.

But, as fate would have it, the motorist transporting the illegal goods did just that around 4:15 a.m., according the Sarasota Police Department. The man was heading northbound on South Tamiami Trail when he attempted a U-turn in the 2200 block. Instead of clearing the turn, he struck another driver, who was heading southbound, police say.

When officers arrived on the scene, the driver gave an officer permission to look in his center console for his driver’s license. While inside the car, the officer noticed marijuana “shake” in the cup holder and also smelled marijuana in the vehicle, an arrest report said.

“(The) officer opened the center console and located several stacks of money,” the report said. “This was mixed with two packages of rolling paper.”

The officer also spotted a large bag of marijuana in an open duffle bag inside the car.

The driver was asked to perform field sobriety tests, and eventually blew 0.22 and 0.21 on a breathalyzer test, police say.

Dillon Pizzarello, 20, of Sarasota, was charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to sell over 20 grams and misdemeanor driving under the influence with personal injury. He was released from the Sarasota County Jail on $2,000 bond.

Pizzarello has been arrested once before in Sarasota. In 2013, he was booked into the county jail on domestic battery charge, jail records indicate.

Photo Credit: Dillon Pizzarello/Sarasota County Jail