Inside Amsterdam's 'coffee shops'
On the Warmoestraat, it's easier to find a coffee shop selling cannabis than an actual cup of coffee. There's a hive of scum and villainy like this street in every major European city, a dirty, dodgy avenue lined with seedy hotels and run-down bars, tacky souvenir stands and neon lights, drunk tourists and overpriced kebab stores.
But the Warmoestraat has that little something extra mixing with the distinctive stench of decay and old booze: the unmistakable aroma of hashish.
Grazing the side of the Red Light District like an open sore, the Warmoestraat is the gateway to the area. For the average tourist, the Red Light District is more voyeurism than vice, a seedy sideshow glimpsed with wide eyes by people wanting to see, but not necessarily be seen. For others, it's a place to pick your poison: casual prostitution, a sex show, or soft drugs.
As lovely as the UNESCO listed canals and dozens of world-class museums are, there's no doubt a large percentage of international visitors flock to Amsterdam largely because of the free availability of marijuana.
Two arrested on armed burglary charges
Alachua County sheriff's deputies had gone to the Santa Fe Trace Apartments, 3310 NW 91st St., to investigate a report of a stolen vehicle and saw two men walking toward it, according to an arrest report. The men ran, and one of the suspects — Demetrius R. Jenkins, 23 — was quickly caught.
Meanwhile, one of the two suspects apparently dropped a black revolver on the ground, according to the Sheriff's Office.
As the police search continued, the other suspect — Charles Aldridge, 18 — came walking toward a deputy. Aldridge was wearing a neon green T-shirt and black basketball shoes, was sweating profusely and was out of breath, deputies said.
The deputy detained him because, in some respects, he matched the description of the fleeing suspect.
An apartment resident later reported that his door had been kicked in and his home burglarized, according to the arrest report. He was missing several watches, along with the green neon shirt and black basketball shoes Aldridge was wearing, deputies said.
