Teens Arrested in Kmart Parking Lot for Alcohol, Marijuana

Lexington Police recently caught several teens in the Kmart parking lot who had been drinking alcohol underage and smoking marijuana, after the store manager complained of loitering in the area, according to incident reports. 

Police arrested 19-year-old Creighton Summers Culvern Friday and charged him with possession of marijuana. They also released four 16-year-olds who they say had been drinking and smoking marijuana into the custody of their parents. 

An officer was patrolling the Kmart parking lot just before 10 p.m. when he saw a silver Ford Explorer parked with the doors open, according to a Lexington Police Department incident report. The officer said a white male near the Explorer saw the police car and ran to a black Nissan Xterra.

Several other cars left the area in a hurry when they saw the officer, according to the report. The officer said he saw another white male run from the Nissan Xterra to a white car and leave. 

When the officer approached the Explorer, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana, according to the report. He searched the vehicle and found marijuana on the floor, seat cushion and in the center console, according to the report. The officer also found a cup in the back seat with marijuana in it. 

One of the passengers in the Explorer said that the people in the Nissan Xterra had just sold them one gram of marijuana, according to the report. 

Another officer searched the Nissan Xterra and found two portions of marijuana: one on the center console and one under the driver's front seat, according to the report. The officer also found loose marijuana and marijuana seeds all over the SUV.

When questioned about the marijuana, Culvern said all of it was his, according to the report. He also told officers he had a bag of marijuana in his pants. 

He was arrested and booked at the Lexington County Detention Center. 

Earlier in the month, an officer arrested 19-year old James Bradford Woodruff for underage drinking after he pulled out of the Kmart parking lot onto West Main Street, according to an incident report. 

A 14-year-old, two 17-year-olds, and a 20-year-old who police say had been drinking were released to their parents and were not charged, according to the report. 

An officer was patrolling near Kmart around 2:40 a.m. Dec. 23 when he saw a black Ford pickup truck pull up to another car in the parking lot, according to the report. When the truck pulled out onto West Main Street, the officer noticed the tail light was broken. 

The officer stopped the truck and asked the driver, Woodruff, and all of the passengers to exit, according to the report. He noticed a Bud Light can under the driver's seat.

When the officer asked the teens about the can, they said they didn't know anything about it and that it could have been there for a long time, according to the report. The officer searched the truck and found a total of three empty beer cans and two beer cans less than half full that were still cold. 

Woodruff told officer he had about four beers to drink, according to the report. When they asked him if he thought he was okay to drive, he said yes. 

All of the teens parents came to pick them up, according to the report. Woodruff was cited for possession of beer by a minor.