Salisbury Police charged a Salisbury man with marijuana possession after they stopped him for urinating in public.
Police charged Maurice Dirton Jr., 32, of the 200 block of South Oakhurst Drive, with misdemeanor simple possession of marijuana. He was issued a written promise to appear in court next month.
A member of the department’s Police Interdiction Team (PIT) spotted Dirton at the corner of Brenner Avenue and Standish Street. The officer asked Dirton what he was doing and he replied “I had to pee so I went.” The officer explained to Dirton he could not urinate in public and then asked if he had any controlled substances on him.
A report said Dirton told the officer he had a “little bit” of marijuana in his pocket. The officer searched Dirton and found three bags of marijuana. Dirton said he smoked marijuana, but didn’t sell it. He had 3.9 grams, a report said.
Dirton was convicted in March 2000 with misdemeanor assault on a handicapped person and a month later he was convicted of felony drug possession. In June 2000, he was convicted of misdemeanor possession of fortified wine or liquor. In 2003, he was convicted of misdemeanor drug possession, of misdemeanor larceny in 2005, and of misdemeanor assault on a female and misdemeanor drug possession in 2006.
In 2008, Dirton was again convicted of misdemeanor assault on a female and two years later with misdemeanor breaking and entering and other misdemeanor offenses. In 2011 he was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon, misdemeanor drug possession and larceny. A Cabarrus County court convicted Dirton in 2012 of misdemeanor drug possession.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.