Myrtle Beach cab driver arrested; drugs found in cab

A Myrtle Beach cab driver was arrested after police said the man was driving under a suspended license, didn’t have a proper chauffeur’s permit, and had marijuana and a pipe in his cab.

Thomas Nicholas Parmalee Jr., 52, whose hometown was not listed, is charged with simple possession of marijuana, operating a taxi without a driver’s permit, improper headlights, and driving under a suspended license, according to jail records.

Myrtle Beach police were on routine patrol about 1 a.m. Friday when they said they saw Parmalee driving without a headlight.

Authorities stopped Parmelee in his Checker Cab in the area of 33rd Avenue North and North Kings Highway and said they discovered his driver’s license had been suspended indefinitely.

During Parmalee’s arrest, police said they found marijuana on him and then got his consent to search the cab and said they found more marijuana and a pipe inside, according to a police report.

Police said they photographed the cab and Parmalee’s expired chauffeur’s permit and passed the information along to an officer in charge of taxi cab and driver enforcement.

Parmalee was being held at the Myrtle Beach Jail Friday morning on $620 bond, according to jail records.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 6:39 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach cab driver arrested; drugs found in cab."