Wisconsin man sentenced for THC possession

One of three Wisconsin men charged with felony counts of possession after numerous products containing THC were allegedly located in their vehicle during a traffic stop has been sentenced on a misdemeanor charge in Circuit Court.

On January 6 at around 4:15 p.m., a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling on I-90 when he observed a passenger vehicle traveling at a radar-recorded speed of 89 mph in an 80 mph zone.

The trooper initiated a traffic stop and making contact with the three occupants of the vehicle. He reports asking for the passenger’s identification due to him not wearing a seatbelt, which identified him as Spyrangelos Theofilos Tselentis. Tselentis allegedly denied not having his seatbelt on.

During this encounter, the trooper reports noticing the smell of raw marijuana. Based on this and the missing documents, he asked the driver to exit the vehicle.

The trooper reports advising the driver that he could smell marijuana both in the vehicle and on his person and that he would be conducting a probable cause search.

The driver allegedly admitted to having marijuana in a bag in the front door and offered to retrieve it. He was searched and placed in the patrol vehicle, while Tselentis and the second passenger were also asked to exit the vehicle.

The probable cause search allegedly led to the discovery of containers of THC and a vape pen containing suspected THC oil in the front portion of the vehicle. In the passenger seat behind the driver, the trooper reports locating a backpack containing several containers with THC labels for products including tincture, cartridges, tablets and a vape pen, as well as a suspected marijuana cigar.

A second bag was also allegedly located containing more packages of assorted THC products. Numerous empty containers with residue were located throughout the vehicle, according to the trooper’s report.

When the three were asked about the items found in the vehicle, Tslentis allegedly claimed he uses the empty containers to make “art” or store spices. He denied knowledge of any containers with controlled substances inside.

All three men were charged with felony counts of possession of THC as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of THC and marijuana. All but the misdemeanor count of possession of THC were dismissed by the prosecution.

Tselentis was sentenced to a $300 fine, 90 days jail time and unsupervised probation through March 21, 2023.