Calif. man stopped with 70 pounds of marijuana

1/2/2018
BLADE STAFF
On Sunday, troopers stopped a rented 2017 Ford Expedition for a speed violation on Interstate 80. Criminal indicators were observed and a Wauseon Police Department drug-sniffing canine alerted to the vehicle. A probable cause search revealed 70 pounds of marijuana.
On Sunday, troopers stopped a rented 2017 Ford Expedition for a speed violation on Interstate 80. Criminal indicators were observed and a Wauseon Police Department drug-sniffing canine alerted to the vehicle. A probable cause search revealed 70 pounds of marijuana.

WAUSEON — A California man faces felony drug charges after state troopers found 70 pounds of marijuana in a sport utility vehicle during a New Year’s Eve traffic stop on the Ohio Turnpike in Fulton County.

Joseph Evans, 25, of Chula Vista, Calif. is charged with marijuana possession, according to an Ohio Highway Patrol statement. The quantity involved makes the offense a second-degree felony under Ohio law.

About 12:44 a.m. Sunday, troopers stopped a rented 2017 Ford Expedition for a speed violation near turnpike Milepost 28, about six miles west of the Wauseon interchange. After “criminal indicators were observed,” a drug-sniffing dog from the Wauseon Police Department was summoned and alerted to the vehicle.

The resulting probable-cause search revealed the marijuana, which had an estimated street value of $318,000, troopers said.