A man has bonded out of the Osceola County Jail after deputies said he swallowed a crack cocaine rock during a traffic stop.
Around 11 p.m. Dec. 18, police stopped 42-year-old Howard Hawkins, Jr. at 13th Street and Eastern Avenue for a tag light that was out.
After giving consent to search his pockets, an officer asked Hawkins to open his mouth and lift his tongue because it appeared he had something in his mouth.
An officer said he observed a crack rock under Hawkins' tongue, which he quickly swallowed.
They said he tried to run and shoved the officers, but was wrestled to the ground. Hawkins sustained a small laceration on the left side of his forehead in the scuffle.
Hawkins was charged with tampering with physical evidence, battery on an officer and resisting an officer without violence. His bond was set at $2,500.