Jared Hotaling: UNSW psychology professor caught with cannabis
Police watched on as this quantitative psychology professor at the University of NSW exchanged cash for a brown paper bag with 28g of cannabis inside.
Southern Courier
Don't miss out on the headlines from Southern Courier. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Cost of a German student’s wild night at the museum
- Great and good of Sydney’s east in Queen’s Birthday Honours
An American quantitative psychology professor, who is completing postdoctoral research in Sydney on cognitive models of judgement and decision making, has dodged a conviction for his choice to buy almost 28 grams of cannabis.
On March 6, police were tipped off about a drug sale outside the Century Tower on Pitt St.
When police arrived, they saw Jared Hotaling, who lives in Randwick, meet with another man.
The pair sat down on the kerb before Hotaling exchanged cash for a brown paper bag, which he then put into his shoulder bag.
Police followed Hotaling for about 100m, before they stopped him on Elizabeth St.
Instead of compromising the drug supply investigation, court documents state, police told Hotaling they had stopped him for committing a “jaywalking offence”.
“Police observed him to be quite nervous as his hands were physically shaking, he was speaking fast and asking an abnormal amount of questions,” court documents read.
“Police asked if he had anything illegal on him, which he immediately denied.
“However, as soon as this question was put to the accused, he begun taking deeper, slower breathes,” the facts continued.
Due to the the package exchange and the “accused person’s nervous behaviour”, the police advised Hotaling he would be subjected to a general search.
Police located a brown paper bag in his shoulder bag with four clear resealable bags containing about an ounce – 27.8 grams – of cannabis leaf.
Hotaling suffers from back problems, which magistrate Jennifer Price gave some weight to when sentencing for the offences this week.
The Indiana University PhD will serve out a Community Release Order (CRO) before he heads back home to the USA in the next few weeks or months, the court heard.
Despite telling the court he would be leaving the country shortly, the CRO was laid for a period of 18 months with magistrate Price stating “plans can change”.
Hotaling has been on a working visa in Australia for about three years, completing a postdoc at the University of New South Wales.
Magistrate Price told the court he was of “obvious good character … very good character”.
“The court can deal with it by way of non-conviction ... (he) needs to travel and work overseas,” she said.
But “(the) amount troubles me somewhat.”
Magistrate Price said the offence was “towards the lower end” but “not at the lower end”.