Moody, 53, was arrested Friday and charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, among other charges. His arrest report says officers seized more than 25 grams of marijuana after he was arrested on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
His first appearance was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in the Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough. Instead of Moody coming to court, his lawyer, Amos Tyndall, said he entered an appearance on his behalf Tuesday. Moody’s court date will now be March 11.
Tyndall, of the Chapel Hill firm Parry Tyndall White, said he is still investigating the case and isn’t ready to talk more about it yet.
Moody is a tenured associate professor, UNC spokesperson Jim Gregory said. According to the Department of Geography website, Moody is also the department’s director of undergraduate studies.
ConnectCarolina doesn’t show Moody as the professor for any classes this semester other than an independent study and graduate research work.
According to his UNC web page, Moody teaches environmental conservation, biogeography and other courses.
Twenty-five grams equates to about 0.8 ounces. In North Carolina, possession of more than 1.5 ounces of marijuana is a felony, but other factors — such as packaging or the circumstances surrounding the arrest — can result in the felony charge of possession with intent to distribute.
Moody’s other felony charge is maintenance of a vehicle in connection with keeping, using or selling a controlled substance.
