Traffic stop for no tags leads to discovery of weed, meth packaged for distribution
Jared W. Johnston, 45, of Bakersfield, is scheduled for a criminal setting in the Ozark County Courthouse before Associate Judge Raymond Gross at 9 a.m. Aug. 13, in a case in which he’s charged with trafficking methamphetamine and possessing drug paraphernalia with intent to use.
He was arrested in the case on July 26 and held in the Ozark Jail on a $15,000 bond until his arraignment July 30, when he was released on his own recognizance.
According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputy Hunter Ryan, the officer initiated a traffic stop on a red car with no license plates on July 26 on O Highway in Bakersfield.
“The car stopped in the middle of the intersection of [Highway] 101 and O Highway in Bakersfield after passing multiple safe places to pull over, such as the school driveway. I stepped out and told the driver to pull into the Evans Kwik Stop parking lot,” the officer wrote in the report. “Upon approaching the vehicle, I asked the driver to provide me with his driver’s license and proof of insurance. The driver told me he does not have insurance on the vehicle. I noticed the driver was shaking and sweating profusely. I identified the driver by his Missouri issued driver’s license as Jared Johnston.”
After running Johnston’s information through the law enforcement computer system to confirm he didn’t have any warrants, the officer asked him to step out of the vehicle so he could assess what might be making the driver so nervous.
“After speaking with Johnston, he stated he was nervous because he had some weed in the car. I asked Johnston if he would give me consent to search his car, he told me no, that he doesn’t think there is any reason for it. I told him that was okay, he has the right to refuse a consent search,” the report says.
The officer told the driver that he was going to have his car towed because he can’t have a vehicle on the highway with no insurance and that he would be writing him a ticket for not maintaining insurance on the vehicle.
“I explained to Johnston that with the vehicle being towed, I would have to do an inventory of the vehicle. Johnston immediately got [defensive] and said we cannot inventory his car. I explained to him what the inventory was for and why we do it,” the report says.
Johnston reportedly opened the trunk and back doors of the vehicle, and said “basically all his stuff is in there.” The deputy said he looked through the back seats and the trunk and took note of all the items of value to log on the tow sheet.
As the officer moved up toward the vehicle’s front seat, he found a Fireball bucket. Johnston reportedly said that was where his weed was located. He opened the lid of the bucket for the officer to see, and it was filled to the top with marijuana, the report says.
Johnston then asked the officer for a ride to his house, because his vehicle was being towed.
Lt. Matt Rhoades told Johnston that he would give him a courtesy ride to his house. Johnston said, “Let me grab my canned goods, and my weed,” the report says. Lt. Rhoades asked Johnston if the bucket was full of weed, and Johnston told the officer it was “2.5 ounces” of marijuana and handed the bucket to Rhoades.
Rhoades reportedly took the bucket and looked inside. He told Johnston that it looked to him to be closer to a pound of weed in the bucket than 2.5 ounces. Rhoades asked if that was why he looked so nervous, and Johnston reportedly said he was nervous because of the scale.
Rhoades removed a bag from the bucket which revealed multiple baggies of a white crystal-like substance that the officers identified as methamphetamine. There was also a scale and a pipe, the report says.
Johnston was placed under arrest for possession of a controlled substance and was booked into the jail at 5:05 p.m. for a 24-hour hold, pending a warrant and the formal filing of charges by the prosecutor. Duke’s Towing arrived on scene and towed the vehicle back to its impound lot.
The document says that officers sized 43 grams of methamphetamine (with packaging), 466 grams of marijuana (with packaging), a glass pipe that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, a scale that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and a white Motorola cell phone.
The trafficking charges is a class C felony, which is subject to a punishment range of 3 to 10 years in prison or by a fine of up to $10,000; however, Johnston is charged as a prior drug offender due to previous felony convictions and is therefore subject to stricter punishment if convicted. If convicted, his punishment range would be that of a class B felony, which is between 5 and 15 years in prison.
The possession with intent to use charge is a Class E felony (up to four years) but if convicted Johnston would face stricter punishment on that count as well - up to 7 years in prison.