An Ohio man had his bond set at $100,000 on Cannabis charges stemming from a Wednesday afternoon arrest.
43-year-old James P. Perkins of Dayton, Ohio, made a video appearance in front of Judge Raymond A. Cavanaugh in Knox County Circuit Court Thursday afternoon.
He is facing three felony counts, the most severe being a Class X charge of Cannabis Trafficking over 5,000 grams. If sentenced he could face 12 to 40 years in the Department of Corrections.
The other charges include Class X Possession of over 5,000 grams of Cannabis with Intent to Deliver and Class 1 Possession of over 5,000 grams of Cannabis.
Perkins, along with 59-year-old Steven P. Broberg of Cave Junction, Oregon, 45-year-old Donnie S. Smith of Brookville, Ohio, were arrested following a traffic stop on East Main Street in Galesburg.
It was revealed in court by Assistant State’s Attorney Sabrina Stroops that the vehicle the packages were found in was registered to Perkins.
According to a Knox County Sheriff’s office press release, two packages of cannabis weighing 42-pounds were found in the trunk of a vehicle being pulled by a U-Haul trailer. The packages were said to have been found inside of two suitcases that allegedly had been stowed in the trunk by Broberg.
The indication from Stroops is that Broberg and Smith were being held over for possible detention hearings on Friday.
A preliminary hearing for Perkins was scheduled for December 4th.
Original Story:
Knox County Deputies have arrested three individuals for trafficking “high-grade cannabis” through Amtrak.
According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Department, 59-year-old Steven P. Broberg of Cave Junction, Oregon, 45-year-old Donnie S. Smith of Brookville, Ohio, and 43-year-old James P. Perkins of Dayton, Ohio, were arrested with 42-pounds of pot.
Deputies were conducting surveillance at the Amtrak Station on South Seminary Street Wednesday afternoon when they observed Broberg exit a train and enter a U-Haul truck with Perkins and Smith.
Two suitcases Broberg had in his possession were stowed in the trunk of a vehicle that was being pulled behind the truck.
After observing a traffic violation, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the 2000-block of East Main Street, where a K-9 unit conducted a free air sniff check, alerting to the car.
Found in the trunk was the suitcases containing the cannabis, which the press release states has an approximate street value of $168,000.
