CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Two men were arrested by the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) on December 16th, 2020, on allegations they possessed 12 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle they were traveling in.
Paperwork obtained from Laramie County Circuit says that a trooper with the WHP pulled over a silver Dodge Caravan on the afternoon of December 16th for speeding near milepost 260 on I-80 east.
The trooper reports that they made contact with the driver Corey Smith, age 37, and a passenger Charles Pinkelton, age 34 during the traffic stop. Both men were identified as being from Ohio.
“As I was standing on the passenger side of the vehicle, I immediately smelled the strong odor of raw marijuana originating from the passenger compartment of the vehicle,” the trooper stated in the sworn affidavit of probable cause.
The trooper goes on to say that they inquired to when the last time marijuana was present inside of the vehicle. Court papers say that the Smith told the trooper that there had not been any marijuana in the vehicle since they were in California.
“Based on the strong odor of raw marijuana, I believed there was likely raw marijuana in the vehicle,” the trooper said.
According to authorities, during a probable cause search of the vehicle, 12 plastic bags each containing approximately 1 pound of raw were uncovered in the trunk area. They estimate that the total weight of marijuana uncovered was 12 pounds.
Law enforcement alleges that along with the raw marijuana discovered in the vehicle that they also located a “large quantity” of U.S. currency in an athletic bag in the rear passenger seat.
“The currency was bound together with rubber bands in three bundles and appeared to be in denominations of $20 bills,” the trooper stated int he affidavit.
The WHP went on to say that they also located a large amount of money in the wallet that belonged to Pinkelton at the time of the search. They report that all suspected marijuana and cash were seized as evidence.
According to court papers, both suspects were transported and booked to the Laramie County Detention Center without any reported incident.
All of those cited or arrested are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Charges are subject to change following official filings from the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office. Information is provided by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office.
