62-year-old Richard Jay Barbour of Spring Lake is looking at a very long time in prison in the not too distant future. And while the drug charges are primarily the result of a drug that is quasi-legal in his home state, Barbour was not in Michigan at the time of his arrest. He was in Minnesota. Not that it would have made all that much difference with this set of circumstances.
Speeding Stop Leads To Discovery of Drugs and Guns
On August 29th, Barbour was pulled over by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper on US Highway 2. He was apparently traveling at 84 mph in a 65 mph zone. In the process of running Barbour’s plates and checking his personal information, the trooper discovered that Barbour had been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation by a Michigan court.
The trooper took custody of him, and Barbour was then transported to the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. Not wanting to leave his vehicle unattended on the side of the road, a deputy from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office drove the car to the hospital for Barbour so that it would be available upon release.
However, during the drive, the deputy noticed the smell of marijuana in the vehicle. He gained a search warrant and the car was searched by Sheriff’s Deputies. They found three fully loaded 40 caliber handguns, along with eleven pounds of marijuana in ziploc baggies.
Under Minnesota law, a person is guilty of a fifth degree controlled substance crime if the person unlawfully possesses a controlled substance classified in Schedule I, II, III, or IV, and possesses a controlled substance by way of deceit, misrepresentation, or subterfuge.
Barbour pled guilty to the charge of felony fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance, and has been scheduled for sentencing on November 24th in the Beltrami County District Court. No information has been made available as to the mental health evaluation that was required in Michigan.