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Brandon couple face child abuse, drug charges

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TBO.com

Published: November 2, 2009

TAMPA - A Brandon couple face child abuse and drug charges after deputies found marijuana and hydrocodone during a traffic stop, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

The couple's 2-week-old daughter was in the vehicle at the time, deputies say.

Deputies said they stopped a Ford Explorer about 7 p.m. Sunday in Seffner because it had a loud exhaust. A deputy smelled marijuana and searched the vehicle, finding six hydrocodone pills. The child's mother, Cierra Michel, 18, also had a baggie of marijuana in her pants, an arrest report states.

The child's father, Michael Johnson, 21, told a deputy that the marijuana was his and that he had smoked some of it while driving, the report states.

Johnson and Michel were charged with child abuse and possession of marijuana. Michel also was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Michel remained in jail with bail set at $6,000. Johnson also remained in jail with bail set at $4,000.

Two other people in the vehicle also were arrested. Sidney Cochran, 18, of Brandon, and Carissa Stubbs, 20, of Riverview, each faces charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and marijuana possession. Each was released on $2,500 bail.

Child protective investigators took the newborn.

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