A Carthage man is facing a drug-related felony charge in Saline County.
According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, on June 28, a trooper obtained a search warrant from Jasper County Circuit Court to ping the cell phone of Chase Johnson after receiving information that Johnson was going to be traveling to Colorado to transport marijuana back to Missouri. The ping was monitored over several days, and on July 5, the trooper observed Johnson’s cellular phone traveling back toward Missouri. At approximately 2 a.m. on July 6, the trooper observed a vehicle displaying Colorado registration that traveled from eastbound I-70 onto northbound U.S. Highway 65. The vehicle was traveling closely behind another vehicle.
Another trooper located Johnson’s vehicle along with the other vehicle near a residence in the 600 block of North Franklin Avenue in Marshall. The trooper observed Johnson exit the vehicle carrying a suitcase and approached Johnson, who admitted there was marijuana in the suitcase. A probable-cause search revealed seven vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana. Johnson allegedly admitted to making multiple trips transporting marijuana from Colorado to Missouri during a post-Miranda interview. The weight of the marijuana in the suitcase was 3.89 pounds.
Johnson has been charged with a Class C Felony for Delivery of a Controlled Substance. Bond has been set at $10,000 cash or surety.
Johnson’s initial hearing is pending at Saline County Circuit Court.