VERO BEACH — A traffic stop led to the arrest of an accused drug dealer in Vero Beach on Wednesday night.
Kenneth Godwin, 36, of 1525 41st Ave., Vero Beach is now being held in the Indian River County Jail, on a string of felony drug charges, in lieu of $255,000 bond.
His charges include three counts possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of heroin with the intent to sell, possession cocaine with the intent to distribute, and a misdemeanor charge for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Godwin was the passenger of a vehicle pulled over in the 1900 block of Old Dixie Highway for a missing cover on a rear brake light. Police say the lack of cover caused the light to shine too bright, impeding other drivers’ ability to see.
Godwin consented to a search of his person as police conducted tests on the driver who said she had been drinking that evening.
After finding what appeared to be illegal narcotics near Godwin, officers notified the driver that her passenger seemed to be hiding drugs in her vehicle. The driver consented to a search of the vehicle which yielded five alprazolam pills, 16 oxycodone pills, 17 hydromorphone pills, one gram of heroin, three grams of cocaine, and more than $700 in cash.
All of the drugs were found underneath or around the front passenger seat where Godwin was sitting.
Godwin claimed he was an unlicensed barber and the cash came from his clients, according to the arrest report. He said he did not know who the drugs belonged to and denied using drugs of any kind.
The driver told authorities she did not know how the passenger was employed, and stated the drugs did not belong to her, the report shows.
The driver does not have an arrest history in Indian River County and was not booked for any charges related to the Wednesday night stop. Booking reports show Godwin has an extensive arrest history including several drug related charges. He was arrested on the spot.
