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MARIANNA A key witness for the prosecution in the drug planting trial of Zachary Wester testified about her arrest by the former deputy and her decision to take a quick plea deal because she thought no one would believe her story.
Teresa Odom, who was pulled over by Wester in February 2018 for faulty lights she said were actually working, told jurors there was no meth in her truck before he searched it.
Odom could be heard saying as much on Wester’s body cam: “It damn sure ain’t mine,” she declared after Wester announced he found methamphetamine in her purse.
After a lengthy investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, prosecutors charged Wester for crimes involving 13 of his alleged victims. The counts, 67 in all, range from racketeering to falsifying evidence.
Here are their stories, told through Wester s own arrest reports and body camera videos, court documents and interviews: Not mine : Body cam video shows alleged sleight of hand
Teresa Odom was stopped by Wester on Feb. 15, 2018, for driving on Highway 231 in Cottondale with defective brake lights. After getting Odom to agree to a search of her Nissan truck, Wester claimed to have found a silver spoon with residue on the floorboard and a baggie of meth in her purse.