Suspect Told Police Sign Listing Pot Prices Was Just A 'Joke'

CARTERSVILLE, GA — A man who claimed he was only joking about selling pot was charged anyway when a sign advertising joint prices was found in his car.

Barry William Brown, 41, of Buchanan was first spotted Saturday “carrying a mason jar full of drugs/narcotics” by an attendant at Dellinger Park, according to the Cartersville Police incident report. Specifically, it was a “green leafy substance” that smelled like “un brunt (sic) marijuana” — and it was enough to get Brown arrested for possession.

After having his rights read to him, Brown told the Cartersville officer he used to deal pot, but no more — he only smoked the stuff. Brown did not have any means to smoke the marijuana on his person, according to the report. He did, however, have about $50 worth of small bills stuffed into his sock.

So if he only smoked the stuff and didn’t deal, where were his rolling papers? Brown explained that “he usually used blunts or joints to smoke the marijuana and had those items back at his t-shirt booth located on the other end of the park, near his vehicle,” the report continued.

Can I search the vehicle, the officer asked? Yes, Brown said.

Once inside Brown’s silver Mercury Mariner, a Cartersville police officer found rolling papers on the front seat. He also found a small white dry-erase board in the back seat with “$5.00 1 gram JAYS, $10.00 Blunts 2.5 grams” written on it.

“Mr. Brown stated the sign was a joke and he was not selling the marijuana,” according to the incident report.

Brown was charged with intent to distribute anyway, along with possession or use of drug-related objects. He has since bonded out of the Bartow County jail.