Littering charge leads to drug charge for Syracuse man

40-year-old Melvin Franklin, 40, of 1306 Park St threw a bottle out the window of his car at 4 a.m. Wednesday morning.  Police immediately pulled Franklin over to give him a ticket for littering, according to The Post-Standard.

The police officer performed a records check on Franklin and found that his driver's license was suspended.  The officer asked Franklin to step out of the car, seeing as he couldn't drive without a license.  That's when the officer noticed a beige, chunky substance where Franklin had been sitting.  The substance tested positive for cocaine, police said.

Franklin admitted he had used the drug and was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, which are both misdemeanors.  The initial littering ticket goes on his record as a violation.