Crime & Safety

Avon Issues First Adult Citation for Possession of Under Half an Ounce of Marijuana Since Decriminalization Bill

The Connecticut General Assembly passed the bill in June.

About two months since the , the Avon Police Department issued its first adult citation for the new infraction Tuesday.

Nathaniel Vaughan Morton, 25, 130 West St., Manchester, was charged with possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana on Aug. 16.

The first official citation for possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana, soon after the new law was created, involved a juvenile, so police are not releasing further information.

Find out what's happening in Avonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The decriminalization law that pertains to possession of a small amount of marijuana, about 14 grams, reduced the charge from a misdemeanor to an infraction that carries a fine. First-time violators face a $150 fine, and on further offenses the penalty would rise from $200 to $500, as previously reported on .

The bill struck up some controversy when it was introduced, for proposing it because his son, Benjamin was arrested in 2007 on charges of dealing marijuana, according to the Connecticut Department of Justice, and two years later following reports that he stole a Darien man's marijuana at gunpoint, according to the DOJ. On top of that, there was the argument that marijuana is a gateway drug.

Find out what's happening in Avonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The infraction for possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana was not the only charge levied against Morton in his Aug. 16 arrest.

Avon police also charged him with first-degree criminal trespass, possession of narcotics, possession or use of drug paraphernalia, failure to keep a drug in its original container and sixth-degree larceny.

Morton trespassed at a Country Club Road home owned by his former employer who recently fired him, police said.

Police said that Morton was in possession of heroin.

Morton was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Aug. 31.

He was previously cited in Avon on July 11 for failure to keep a drug in its original container, failure to drive in the proper lane and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

Editor's Note: Morton was charged with possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana, not less than four ounces as the article initially stated on second reference. Manchester, carries and misdemeanor were also spelled wrong. Also, while Morton was the first adult charged with the infraction of possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana, he was not the first in Avon. A juvenile was charged with the infraction soon after the new law was passed and further details are not being released. These errors have been corrected. This article was last updated at 11:39 p.m.


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