Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
A man who was arrested after a search of his van revealed he was transporting an estimated 400 lbs of marijuana has been given a suspended sentence on a possession charge.
On January 16, 2021 a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper located in Crook County was contacted by another trooper who said she had stopped a van on Hwy 50 near Gillette and become suspicious of criminal activity, specifically the transportation of controlled substances. However, the second trooper did not have a K-9 available and was denied consent to perform a search.
As well as providing convoluted travel plans, the driver brought up multiple times that he was a veteran and had a military backpack and jacket visible in the vehicle.
“Based on the information provided, I was also suspicious the driver was involved in narcotics trafficking,” states the trooper in his report.
The trooper located the suspect vehicle near milepost 172 on I-90 and observed it crossing lanes without signaling, with no apparent reason for the driver to change lanes. It appeared to the trooper that the driver was watching him in his rear view mirror and drove over the center line, continuing into the left lane to make it appear this had been intentional.
The suspect continued for approximately three miles before pulling to the shoulder and coming to a stop. The trooper reports making contact with the driver, Timothy Viane.
A second trooper who had arrived on scene issued a written warning to Viane for failing to signal a lane change. As he was working on this, the first trooper deployed his K-9 on the suspect vehicle.
The K-9 allegedly alerted to the odor of a controlled substance. A search of the van revealed 22 boxes, all of which contained suspected marijuana in plant form.
The boxes were allegedly labeled with the number of vacuum sealed packages inside. According to these numbers, the trooper reports that they contained 351 packages for a total weight of over 400 lbs.
Viane pled guilty to a felony count of possession of a controlled substance. Judge Stuart S. Healy III sentenced him to between three and five years in a state penal institution, suspended pending completion of three years of supervised probation.
