Traffic Stop Leads To Archer Man’s Drug Arrest

GAINESVILLE ‒ A 45-year-old Archer man was arrested Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, following a traffic stop in northwest Gainesville and charged with selling marijuana, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

Larry Donnell Porter was stopped around 8:23 p.m. in the 7600 block of West Newberry Road after reportedly failing to stop at a marked stop bar before making a right turn. After turning, the black Dodge Charger Porter was driving allegedly crossed over the center line and back, and deputies noted that the vehicle’s window tint appeared to be illegal, which was later confirmed.

According to the arrest report, Porter declined a deputy’s request to search his vehicle. A K-9 unit was called to the scene and alerted deputies to the presence of drugs, leading to a probable cause search.

Deputies reported finding a grey, locked, scent-proof backpack in the vehicle. After initially stating he did not know the combination, Porter eventually provided the code. During the stop, deputies said Porter called his wife to tell her where to find money at their house and instructed her to contact a lawyer and his employer, actions deputies said indicated he expected to be arrested.

Inside the backpack, deputies said they found two additional locked, odor-proof bags containing multiple packages of marijuana, a digital scale, an empty heat-seal bag and other materials commonly associated with drug distribution. The total weight of marijuana recovered was approximately 141 grams, according to the report.

Porter, who reportedly holds a medical marijuana card, was noted in the arrest report as being “well aware of the requirements” for legally possessing marijuana. However, deputies said the marijuana found was not in dispensary containers and was packaged for street-level sales.

After being read his Miranda rights, Porter reportedly denied knowledge of the marijuana but said his fingerprints would likely be on at least one of the bags. While being transported to jail, he reportedly remarked, “It’s just marijuana.”

In a social media post following the arrest, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office warned of the risks associated with street-purchased marijuana.

“While most in our community may find no harm in Marijuana, we want to remind you of the many stops we have conducted where we continue to find that what seems to be ‘just weed’ is often laced with deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine,” the post read. “There is a mission here and it’s simple. No street level narcotic is safe. We must do everything possible to prevent having to tell a family member that their loved one overdosed because they thought they were ‘just smoking weed.’”

Porter is charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, selling or distributing marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Court records show Porter has a criminal history including juvenile convictions from 1994 to 1997, six adult felony convictions—two of them violent—and four misdemeanor convictions. He has previously served two state prison sentences and was last released in 2010.

Judge Meshon Rawls set Porter’s bail at $55,000. Porter was released on bail on Feb. 28, 2025.

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