The former sheriff of St. Johns County was not issued a ticket or arrested after he was pulled over with 8 grams of marijuana in his vehicle. David Shoar, who served as sheriff from 2004 to 2021, was pulled over at Pope Road and A1A Beach Boulevard about 9 p.m. after failing to stop at a red light before making a turn, an incident report from the St. Augustine Beach Police Department states. Was he given special treatment?

This is the statement released by the St. Augustine Beach Police Department:

On Dec. 15, 2023, at approximately 9 p.m. officers from the St Augustine Beach Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a motor vehicle for a minor traffic infraction near the intersection of Pope Rd and A1A Beach Blvd. The driver of the vehicle was identified as David B. Shoar. Officers detected the odor of burnt marijuana emitting from the vehicle. 

Upon approaching the vehicle, officers saw what they believed to be marijuana visible inside the vehicle. A roadside investigation and interview were conducted by officers. No driver impairment was detected during the interview/investigation. After a search of the vehicle, three marijuana cigarettes were seized for destruction. SABPD officers conducted a thorough investigation adhering to agency policy and standard operating procedures. The driver of the vehicle David Shoar was subsequently released.

Watch the bodycam footage and see for yourself this “thorough investigation.”