San Angelo Man Indicted for Trying to Swallow Weed While Being Strip Searched at Jail

SAN ANGELO, TX- A San Angelo man has been indicted by a Tom Green County grand jury for tampering with evidence after he was searched in the jail.

According to court documents, on January 25, 2022, 2 San Angelo police officers observed a silver 2014 Buick Verano turn south on Austin Street from Avenue N. One of the officers ran the vehicle’s license plate and learned that the vehicle’s registration was expired. The officers activated the patrol car’s overhead light and conducted a traffic stop of the Buick at Lighthouse Way and Austin Street.

The officer made contact with the passenger of the vehicle, identified as Nicholas Reyes, was had three confirmed city warrants and one extraditable warrant out of Reagan County. Reyes was arrested and transported to the Tom Green County Jail.

At the jail, Reyes was strip searched and as the jailer searched Reyes’ undergarments, a glass pipe, a torch lighter, and a black cylindrical bottle fell out of the clothing. The pipe shattered when it hit the ground and Reyes grabbed the black cylindrical bottle and poured a green, leafy substance into his mouth.

Due to the officer’s training and the proximity of the substance to the other contraband, the substance was believed to be marijuana.

The male jailer took Reyes down to the ground and ordered Reyes to spit the substance out of his mouth. The arresting officer repeated the order to Reyes who did not comply. The jailer drew his taser and threatened to tase Reyes if he did not spit the marijuana out. Reyes continued to disobey commands and the officer used his thumb to apply pressure behind Reyes’ ear in an attempt to get him to comply. The jailer threatened to tase Reyes once more and Reyes did spit out the marijuana.

The officer believed Reyes was trying to destroy the marijuana.

Nicholas Reyes was booked into the on January 25, 2022 and made a $10,000.00 bond on February 19, 2022.