Casper man facing possession charges

A Casper man has been bound over to District Court and arraigned on felony charges of possession, third or subsequent offense, after a traffic stop on I-90 revealed there to be marijuana in the vehicle in which he was traveling.

While a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling on I-90 on November 20, he observed a vehicle travel through the center divider median from the eastbound lane of travel into the westbound lanes. He initiated a traffic stop at around 6:30 a.m. but, due to the dangerous location the vehicle was in, directed the female driver to move to a safer place.

The driver twice stopped her vehicle tightly against the guard rail and appeared to be having difficulty understanding the trooper’s instructions. When the trooper approached the vehicle again, he smelled burnt marijuana coming from inside.

Once the vehicle was pulled over safely, the trooper approached once again. He reports that the windows had been rolled down, pushing the scent of marijuana towards him, and the female driver appeared to be very nervous as she looked for her paperwork.

The male passenger, who “had been pretending to be sleeping”, allegedly became alert when the trooper asked about the smell and denied there being any marijuana in the vehicle. The passenger was later identified as Benjamin Macias.

The driver was asked to exit the vehicle and allegedly the smell of marijuana emanated strongly from her person. The trooper allegedly observed residue that appeared to be from marijuana on the male passenger’s clothing.

A search of the vehicle with the assistance of a second trooper allegedly turned up a plastic baggy containing suspected marijuana less than three ounces. According to court reports, Macias admitted he had rolled and smoked a joint shortly beforehand.

The substance in the baggy was later confirmed to be marijuana in an amount totaling 4.8 grams.

Macias was charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, third offense. He was arraigned in District Court on June 13.