Brandon Davis probably thought he'd made a nice little score.
All he had to do was drive a friend from Texas to Colorado and back and he'd be paid $500, plus gas, food and drinks.
But this sweet deal quickly turned sour.
As documented in a probable cause statement on view below, Davis's friend died and the cops he contacted for help initially wondered if he'd had any role in his passing — and after determining that he didn't, they busted him on suspicion of trying to transport a large amount of marijuana out of state.
Just past 11:30 a.m. on August 2, according to the report, two Denver police officers were on a call at the Traveler's Inn, 4765 North Federal Boulevard, when they were approached by Davis.
He said his friend was in his car and wouldn't wake up — and he asked if the officers would check on him.
The vehicle in question was a Texas-plated 2011 Mazda 3 like this one....
...and when they looked inside, they found a man in the front passenger seat subsequently identified as Nicholas Smith.
Although Smith appeared to be sleeping, closer examination revealed that he had died.
At that point, a homicide investigation was opened, even though Smith's body showed no visible signs of trauma.
As part of the inquiry, the officers quizzed Davis, asking if Smith "had taken any alcohol, illegal drugs, marijuana or edible marijuana."
in response, Davis denied any knowledge of drug consumption, but he acknowledged that Smith had consumed "a lot of alcohol."
By the way, there's no reference to Smith's cause of death in the report. However, Davis hasn't been accused of any crime related to his passing.
Next, the cops asked Davis if they could take a look in the hotel room Davis and Smith had shared, and Davis gave his okay.
Once inside, the report says officers noticed the strong odor of marijuana — and when they asked Davis if he had any on his person, "his hand went protectively over his left pocket" and he began "acting very nervous, where before he was extremely upset over the loss of his friend."
The cop then asked if he could search Davis, and he came away with a marijuana pipe and a bottle that contained a variety of different pills later discovered to be Schedule II narcotics.
Meanwhile, a search of the room turned up $18,000 in cash and "five large bags of suspected marijuana."
These discoveries prompted Davis's arrest — and during the process, the report maintains that he admitted being paid the aforementioned sum to drive Smith to Colorado to buy marijuana that they would then take back to Texas.
Now, the Denver District Attorney's Office has formally accused Davis of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy. He's next due in court on August 18.
Look below to see a larger version of Davis's booking photo, as well as the arrest documents.
Brandon Davis Probable Cause Statement
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