You may have heard about a supposed bomb scare that shut down the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade County last Friday. Apparently, an unoccupied hearse was found parked beneath the NW 27th Avenue overpass which was believed to contain explosives.
According to Local 10, a "person of interest" has been arrested by Miami-Dade police.
The suspect is being held in the Miami-Dade County jail on $37,500 bond.
The charges against him include possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license suspended (DWLS), and felon in possession of a firearm, weapon, or ammunition.
Inside the hearse that was found abandoned on the expressway, police said they found replicas of weapons that looked very real. Police said Lewis collects replica guns and other weapons. The ammunition they found, however, was real.
All reports at this point are preliminary, so it is unclear how the police linked the suspect to the vehicle. Perhaps the hearse was registered to the suspect. However, the prosecutors must be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect knew of the ammunition that was found inside of the vehicle. Simply possessing something is not enough to prove the charge of felon in possession of a firearm/weapon/ammunition. The State Attorney must be able to show that the accused had knowledge of the items possessed.
Eric Matheny is a criminal defense attorney serving Miami-Dade and Broward. Call today to speak with Attorney Eric Matheny regarding your criminal case.