Driver had 513 pounds of pot

Police seized 513 pounds of marijuana from the car of Clement Hunter, a Jamaica resident, after a routine traffic stop in St. Albans turned into a full-blown chase.
After Hunter, 30, ran through a red light at the intersection of Farmers Boulevard and Merrick Boulevard early Sunday, December 19, Officer Jason Zummo blared his siren, according to documents obtained from the District Attorney’s office. Hunter did not stop and failed to signal his next turn going the wrong way down 178th Place, a one-way street.
He then turned off his headlights and barreled down the street at about 70 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone for three blocks before he exited the vehicle and fled on foot, according to the documents. The officer was able to apprehend Hunter, who resisted arrest and struggled to avoid being handcuffed.
After a search, police found 10 plastic bags of marijuana in the back of Hunter’s Dodge Caravan. Melissa Correa, the legal owner of the vehicle and employee of National Car Rental, told the officer that the car was a rental and that Hunter’s name was not on the rental agreement.
Despite reports of 50 counts, the DA said that Hunter was arraigned on only one felony count of drug possession that same day. Judge Joseph A. Zayas set bail at $50,000.
Hunter was also charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree, resisting arrest, unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree and reckless driving, among others.