A convicted felon is back behind bars today after he allegedly pitched a half-pound brick of cocaine from his car and crashed into another vehicle as he ran from police in south Nashville.

Darryl Alderson, a 20-year-old who received a three-year probated sentence in March, allegedly took off when police attempted to make a traffic stop Monday night on Una Antioch Pike. Alderson’s Chevrolet Impala was traveling 46 mph in a 35 mph zone.

Police say Alderson accelerated toward Murfreesboro Pike and tossed a white bag from the driver’s window. He then struck another motorist’s vehicle (The second driver was not hurt.) at the intersection of Una Antioch Pike and Murfreesboro Pike. He stopped at Nashboro Boulevard and Flintlock Court where he was taken into custody.

Officers recovered the white bag, which allegedly contained the cocaine brick.

Alderson, of Vailview Drive, is charged with felony drug possession in a drug free zone (The cocaine was tossed within 1,000 feet of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.), tampering with evidence, evading arrest, leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a revoked license.

His bond on those charges is set at $80,000, and a probation violation charge is expected to be filed

In the article it says he was charged with felony drug possession in a drug free zone?
Maybe im stupid but what is a drug free zone? I thought everywhere in the U.S. was suppost to be a drug free zone?

Certain areas around sensitive sites--churches and schools, especially--can be officially designated "drug-free zones" and the penalty for possession or distribution in those areas is more severe than in other places.

It's kind of like the fines being higher for speeding in a school zone than on a regular street.

quote:

Originally posted by Nitro Express:
Certain areas around sensitive sites--churches and schools, especially--can be officially designated "drug-free zones" and the penalty for possession or distribution in those areas is more severe than in other places.

It's kind of like the fines being higher for speeding in a school zone than on a regular street.

Now I got it

I understand it but it still sounds like "a little bit of rape" to me.

It's stupid, it's like hate crimes. They try to make some more politically incorrect by making it more illegal.

Drug free zones are often "gun free zones" too. So if you have a shotgun in your trunk and get pulled over on a route that takes you past a school you can be charged with a violation. It is a grey area and is selectively enforced since where I live the main road goes past the high school and it is also where the speed limit changes, so it is one of the usual local speed traps. I have never heard of it happening down here but when I lived around Chicago I read about it a few times in the papers.

Also, drug sting operations are often carried out in the "drug free" zones as there are (IIRC) mandatory prison sentences involved.

It is usually 1000 feet from schools, chuches etc.