BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A 47-year-old Raiford man, whom deputies told was free to leave a traffic stop but instead stayed with officers to ask for his friend’s cell phone, was sentenced to two years in prison after a search during the traffic stop revealed he was in possession of 8.6 grams of crack cocaine.
Shelton Dell pleaded to possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to an arrest report, on June 12, 2025, deputies stopped a silver Chevrolet Trailblazer in the area of Starke’s Grand and Brownlee Streets because they knew the driver, Dallas Sylvester, did not have a valid license.
Dell was a passenger in the SUV, and deputies told the 47-year-old he was free to leave. However, the Raiford man stayed on scene and asked to speak with Sylvester.
Meanwhile, a deputy located a black scale with white residue in the center console of the vehicle that was within reach of both of the SUV’s occupants. The residue tested positive for cocaine.
“At this time,” wrote a deputy in the report, “Shelton approached me and asked if he could have Dallas’s cellphone. Due to the scale being located in the vehicle, I conducted a search of Shelton’s person. Shelton became very agitated and provided me with a green leafy substance, within a plastic bag, from his right shorts’ pocket.”
The officer added that he also located a bag in Dell’s lower right cargo pocket, which contained multiple pieces of a rocklike substance, which, based on the deputy’s training and experience, he knew to be crack cocaine.
The defendant’s prior convictions include possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, criminal mischief, felony driving with a suspended or revoked license, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis, and loitering or prowling.
