Faulty headlight leads to drug bust

A 35-year-old stopped in downtown Covington Friday for a faulty headlight was arrested when police found 14 bags of marijuana in the front seat.

Dwight Armelin of 21164 Gardiena St. was driving his 200 Dodge Caravan from the corner of North Columbia Street and Lockwood Street when Covington police motioned to stop.

“They were just going to say ‘hey sir, your headlight is out. You need to get that fixed,’” Capt. Jack West, Covington Police Department spokesman, said. “But when they approached, my God, there it was in plain view, right on the front street.”

The marijuana, divided up into smaller bags and weighing about a gram or two each, sold for about $5 a bag, West said. In all it amounted to about an ounce of marijuana, he said.

Armelin was arrested and charged with distribution of schedule 1 narcotics and the headlight violation, both misdemeanor crimes. He was booked into St. Tammany Parish Jail in lieu of a combined $75,250 bond. He remained in jail as of press time Tuesday.

Armelin is no stranger to police. He’s previously been arrested for distribution of narcotics and illegal carrying of a firearm, West said.

The outcome or details of those cases was unclear Tuesday.