19-year-old Carlens Ostin left the back door of his house open on Aaronwood Drive for a couple of days, so a concerned neighbor called the police on the afternoon of December 5th. The neighbor stated the previous residents had moved out, and they believed no one had moved back in. Officers arrived and observed the lockbox attached to the front door, commonly found on homes that are for sale, had been cracked and left open without the keys. They went to the unsecured door at the rear of the home, announced themselves to ensure no one had broken in, and began to clear the residence when they located three vacuum-sealed bags full of marijuana sitting in plain view on top of a box in the upstairs bedroom, so they executed a search warrant, uncovering three additional vacuum sealed bags, weighing a total of six pounds, and a vacuum sealer. Ostin arrived at the house while the officers were on the scene and advised he had just moved in and must have left the back door open. He stated he had gotten the key out of the lockbox and accidentally damaged the box. Then, Ostin contacted his aunt, the legal renter of the property, and she confirmed that he was staying there while going to school. He told officers he was the only one who was staying there, and he knew nothing about the marijuana. Ostin was taken into custody for possession with intent to distribute and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.
Carlens Ostin charged after police find 6 pounds of marijuana at his residence
