May 08--Apparently not satisfied with being arrested just once Saturday, a Dover man went for the twofer when he allegedly gave officers a reason to bust him a second time.
Northern York County Regional Lt. David Lash summed up the second mistake Aaron Richard Gracey allegedly committed:
"Obviously, you shouldn't come to a police station with marijuana in your pants."
Gracey, 24, of 40K Stony Lane, is free on bail for two separate cases that happened within nine hours of each other.
Northern Regional officers first arrested Gracey about 3:30 a.m. Saturday for allegedly driving drunk. Because it's his second offense, Gracey was taken to the county's central booking unit and his Acura was towed by a local tow-truck company, Lash said.
Gracey posted his $10,000 bail and was released.
Fast forward to about 12:20 p.m. Saturday, when Gracey was dropped off at Northern Regional's headquarters. He walked into the station and asked an officer where his Acura has been towed and where his car keys might be, according to Lash.
While talking to the officer, Gracey pulled his hand out of his front pocket -- causing a small plastic bag of marijuana to fall to the ground, police said.
Fled on foot: As the officer moved in for the arrest, Gracey snatched up the pot, pulled away from the officer and ran out of the station, police said.
He fled along a stream near the police station and threw the bag along that stream, police said, but officers recovered it.
Officers also caught up with Gracey, who was arrested after a brief struggle, police said.
"He refused commands to stop struggling," Lash said. "He was pepper sprayed, at which point officers were able to handcuff him without any further problems."
No one was hurt during the struggle, he said.
"(Gracey) indicated that he purchased the marijuana for $5 earlier that day in York City, and that he ran and threw the marijuana away because he did not want to go back to jail," Lash said.
Return trip: Gracey was taken back to the central booking unit nine hours after his DUI arrest. He is charged with resisting arrest, tampering with evidence and simple pot possession.
Gracey was committed to York County Prison Sunday but released the same day after posting $20,000 bail, a prison official said.
-- Reach Elizabeth Evans at [email protected], 505-5429 or twitter.com/ydcrimetime.
Copyright 2012 - The York Dispatch, Pa.
