Police Arrest Five In Marijuana Raid
Additional Arrest Tied To Theft By Receiving Firearm
Last updated Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:50 PM CST in News
By Richard Dean Prudenti
THE MORNING NEWS
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BENTONVILLE - Police seized approximately 22.5 pounds of marijuana, Bentonville Police Chief James Allen said Wednesday.
Officials said the value of the marijuana was $18,000.
On Tuesday, Bentonville police delivered a Federal Express package they believed contained a significant amount of marijuana and within minutes had the Rogers police arrest James Tavipet Pounthaneanesy and Alexxiz Antonio Cruz, both 20 of Rogers, in connection with felony intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Police are withholding the names of three 17-year-old juveniles arrested in connection with the incident until the Benton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office determines whether to charge them as adults.
"This is one of the largest seizure I've seen," Allen said. "I don't remember getting this much of marijuana off someone so young."
A Bentonville narcotics dog had sniffed the package, which had been sent from Texas and was en route to 915 S. 25th Place in Rogers.
Officers learned about the suspicious package through the Arkansas State Police that received a tip about a substantial quantity of marijuana scheduled for delivery through Federal Express.
Allen said police have no information on who may have sent the package. "Obviously, we're trying to find out something more about that," Allen said.
Obvious to Bentonville Lt. Jon Simpson were the individuals who were expecting the package.
Police delivered the package and almost immediately a vehicle pulled up with the individuals police arrested.
Simpson noted the "professional" packaging of the controlled substance, so police could not detect an odor except through the drug canine.
"I don't think any of us could duplicate their packaging," and an attempt to get repackage the material exactly how it came in the box proved unsuccessful, he said.
Officers at the residence found drug paraphernalia, a .22 caliber rifle with a modified extended round magazine and a 9 mm handgun with a partially defaced serial number a Rogers pawnshop reported stolen.
Police later arrested the resident, Leslie Kay East, 47, of Rogers in connection with felony theft by receiving a firearm and misdemeanor possession of a defaced firearm.
"We got the marijuana off the street and no one got hurt," Allen said.
Razorback Central
Reader Comments (24 comment(s))
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tlwilliams479 wrote on Feb 13, 2008 9:29 PM:
" It doesn't look like the sheriff was involved on this. He doesn't think there is a drug problem in the area. "
masonstorm1958 wrote on Feb 13, 2008 9:51 PM:
" On this, I don't really care who the sheriff is, I disagree. I am a strong supporter of medicinal marijuana. No doubt this was for meant for recreational use. Still, people who use it for medical reasons would probably buy some of this. Now they will have to go elsewhere. Make no mistake about it, they will find other sources. I encourage them to do so. This is where I part company with my conservative roots. I have seen first hand the benefits this has to offer people who do not want to be addicted to narcotics that they otherwise would have to take on continuous basis to relieve either pain or other debilitating conditions. No doubt there will be others who, out of ignorance, will decry the use or any use of such a substance. I'll wait for the rebuttals before I write anymore. I havae no doubt I'll be hearing from the law and order crowd and religious people who interpret the the Bible their way. "
riptide wrote on Feb 14, 2008 8:34 AM:
" masonstorm1958 all I can say to you is, what??? First off I doubt anyone in this area will have a hard time finding weed. I guarentee the price will not go up either. These guys will be back in business soon anyway. I don't understand your leep from this story to you pot addiction. Maybe you can explain that one to your probation officer pot head. "
maljoir wrote on Feb 14, 2008 8:34 AM:
" Hmmm, ever wonder why marijuana has a hard time walking into the legal realm of society. Its because the people who choose to represent it are such fine persons, why they dont commit other crimes, like ..........possessing stolen firearm's, defaced firearm's. There are rules and laws, and ways to change those rules and laws. If a majority of the people want those things changes there are ways to do it. If a minority of the people want those rules and laws changes then I suggest you change your campaign style. Your current style of the rebel outlaw, I just don't agree and I'm going to do it anyway is not working. They broke the current law concerning drugs, and then broke laws. Again not a good sales pitch. "
gary wrote on Feb 14, 2008 3:00 PM:
" Masonstorm 1958, to use MJ for medicinal purposes, I wonder.
I had a neice who used marijuana for medical reasons, for the record, it was in Texas, at the end of her young life, not only was she useing MJ, she was also on a very high doses of Narcitic Pain Killers. If one can be adddicted to Narcotics, one can also be addicted to marijuana.
For myself and the pain I used to go through, I elected to and received acupuncture. I still live with pain, but not as bad as when I was taking oxycodone,oxycotion, codein and other pain killers.
I choose to try to aleivate my pain with other methods, rather than being adddicted to drugs, legal or illegal.
Proven fact, marijuana is addictive and does lead to the use of other drugs.
Thanks but no thanks. "
I had a neice who used marijuana for medical reasons, for the record, it was in Texas, at the end of her young life, not only was she useing MJ, she was also on a very high doses of Narcitic Pain Killers. If one can be adddicted to Narcotics, one can also be addicted to marijuana.
For myself and the pain I used to go through, I elected to and received acupuncture. I still live with pain, but not as bad as when I was taking oxycodone,oxycotion, codein and other pain killers.
I choose to try to aleivate my pain with other methods, rather than being adddicted to drugs, legal or illegal.
Proven fact, marijuana is addictive and does lead to the use of other drugs.
Thanks but no thanks. "
shoutitout2 wrote on Feb 14, 2008 4:35 PM:
" "Pounthaneanesy"
Like we are suppose to believe this is really his name. Well, today I had too much time on my hands and did a last name search on this and came up with NOTHING!!!
Maybe he was high when he gave them his name! "
Like we are suppose to believe this is really his name. Well, today I had too much time on my hands and did a last name search on this and came up with NOTHING!!!
Maybe he was high when he gave them his name! "
sovereignty wrote on Feb 14, 2008 6:23 PM:
" these people are simply "undocumented pharmacist" and are pursuing the American dream doing a job that most of us will not do. it is a dangerous job, has poor hours, can be dirty, has no fringe benefits, is not highly regarded, etc, etc. so, i say we release them immediately, thank them for serving in an undesireable work and while we are at it we might as well ascertain if there is some social servie they qualify for that they are not getting. when the cops come across such people they should not be allowed to ask about their behaviors lest one of them or their families, friends, etc, not want to report any future crime for fear of being found to be involved in the illegal drug business. now these people will be out of work and their families will suffer, they may even be seperated due to their choices due and that by a govt that has no sensitivity to the plight of the drug dealers, er, sorry, undocumented pharmacist. all i am saying is we need to re-think this matter. after all, we must consider the harm done to the under-ground economy if we prosecute these people. and we all know that the economy is the all important issue in this country. just food for thought... "
masonstorm1958 wrote on Feb 14, 2008 7:09 PM:
" Riptide: Is this normal knee jerk reaction to those you disagree with? I find it amusing that you immediately think I am a user of illicit drugs. Your perception leaves something to be desired. I must of touched a raw nerve by my post. The so-called jump, you indicated, was a intuitive one. I don't really expect someone like you to comprehend the complexities involved. Let's try this, if you can muster a little intelligence and debate the issue with me, WITHOUT emoting, you stand a much better chance of receiving a reply in kind. Not the false accusations and immuendo that spouts forth out of that orifice you call a mouth. Check your facts by the way, last few studies I purviewed, the neutral ones, clearly states that physical addiction was inherently impossible. However to be equitable, psychological addiction is possible in a minority of people who used it continuous over a lengthy period of time. Character assassination is no way to prove your point, if you have one. but if you wish to pursue this course of action, I can keep writing words you will need a dictionary or thesaurus in order to obtain the necessary understanding to keep this dialouge going. Please give structure to your rebuttals in the future. "
masonstorm1958 wrote on Feb 14, 2008 7:30 PM:
" Gary: Sorry to say sir that your facts are erroneous. The problem is any of these facts that you, I , or anyone else quotes can be twisted to support their view and or perception on a given subject. Please, by all means quote your sources so I can check to see if they are not a front for the Federal government's propaganda machine. If the studies are on the level. I'll reevaluate my position. I'm not going to play sucker for either side. All I can tell you is what I've seen with my own eyes over the course of my life. Mind you, a good number of people who tried and use it for their medical conditions were just like you in their beliefs and views on this paticular subject. I don't know if I stated this before in my other posts, but I did not once endorsed or advocated the use of this to the general public. I am all for reducing or eliminating pain and great physical suffering by any means necessary for those that genuinely need it. It's inhumane to do otherwise. I find it commedable that you sought and found an alternative way to deal with your suffering. Unfortunately not all people can afford those kind of high prices nor will it work on all people. You find what works and use it.I must take issue with your statement that the use of Marijuana will inevitably lead to the use of harder drugs. "cont" "
masonstorm1958 wrote on Feb 14, 2008 7:47 PM:
" I would like to know where you get such misleading information. That was disproven years ago. Surely your information is more up to date than that. let me reiterate, it is a fine thing you found another way besides drus. As you say legal or illegal. Not everybody is you though. You might want to take that into consideration. It's too bad the Feds are still operating off of fear they put out and the hysteria from information out of the 30's. That's when Mr. Anslinger convinced the country, without a shred of scientific evidence to back him up, that Marijuana was more evil than any other drug available at the time. He did that for personal and political gain without regard for evidence to the contrary. Obviously, if you have a closed mind to begin with, no amount of facts or ancedotal evidence will ever change your mind. And that is really a shame if that is the case. All of this that I have laid out for you is for the unhealthy not the well among us.Tell me why Doctors can prescribe medicine that is way more powerful and addicting and not Marijuana? Really does not make sense. That's telling Doctors that the Feds know what is better for a patient than they do. Somhow I just don't see that. "
masonstorm1958 wrote on Feb 14, 2008 8:02 PM:
" Maljoir: A great many laws were changed due to civil disobedience. Poser, are you old enough to remember the turmoil of the 60's and 70's? If so, then you know what I am talking about. When we rebelled against the British, we were breading their laws by doing so, but because of the strength of their resolve we became a country. Now what does one have to do with the other? Let me explain. The common thread that runs through this is that a minority of the people can sometimes prevail with their causes. Yes we have the petition process and I am sure most of the peole who want the law changed for medical reasons will also prevail sometime in the future. Does not the milk of human kindness course through your veins or is it all about blind obedience to a law that is injurious to the very people who need it for their various medical conditions? I am an advocate for changing that part of the law. Only for people who are debilitated and dying from whatever ails them to this extreme. Not all drugs work on all people. As I am sure this is not a curall medically speaking. Patients need to have available to them whatever allieviate their condition according to their Doctors advice. Please read my other posts for more information. Please, no schoolyard responses such as Riptide. Give respect and you shall also have it. "
gary wrote on Feb 14, 2008 8:06 PM:
" Masonstorm, as a corpsman in the Navy, I personaly saw several men who openly admitted they were addicted to marijuana. They had turned themselves into the drug rehab program. They admitted they would do anything to get a "joint', or a hit. Now if that isn't adddictive then nothing is.
It has been proven over and over again that marijuana can and does, not always, lead to other drugs. In the case of my neice, she first started with marijuana and progressed to other drugs.
Now for the one thing you might not have thought of, anything, that a person needs or has to have, is considered to be adddictive.
I would think that most of these people use the excuse of not getting addicted to pain killers, find it an easy way to get a legal high.
I know people who use marijuana and they , themselves have said, "don't matter if it's legal or not, nobodys going to stop me!" This is considered addiction, wheather you want to admit it or not.
As for my accupuncture, it was at the V.A. Hospital in Little Rock. That is my only insurance. "
It has been proven over and over again that marijuana can and does, not always, lead to other drugs. In the case of my neice, she first started with marijuana and progressed to other drugs.
Now for the one thing you might not have thought of, anything, that a person needs or has to have, is considered to be adddictive.
I would think that most of these people use the excuse of not getting addicted to pain killers, find it an easy way to get a legal high.
I know people who use marijuana and they , themselves have said, "don't matter if it's legal or not, nobodys going to stop me!" This is considered addiction, wheather you want to admit it or not.
As for my accupuncture, it was at the V.A. Hospital in Little Rock. That is my only insurance. "
masonstorm1958 wrote on Feb 14, 2008 8:14 PM:
" One more thing. In case you have not noticed, my typing stinks. If there is anything in my posts you do not understand due to my typing errors, let me know and I will see if I can oblige you. "
spencer wrote on Feb 15, 2008 7:50 PM:
" I'm not sure that a discussion about medical marijuana belongs with this article, but as an RN, I have seen firsthand how the treatments for cancer and other debilitating diseases affect people. Many do not get relief from the standard drugs prescribed for nausea, vomiting and often pain. There is scientific and testimonial evidence that marijuana is effective in relieving these symptoms in many people. It's hard to believe that in the year 2008, our government still has not found a way to distribute and/or regulate something that can be grown in a garden and provide relief to those who DESPERATELY need it. (I stress desperate, I'd classify anyone fighting for their life as pretty desperate.) "
gary wrote on Feb 16, 2008 9:34 PM:
" Spencer, in the case of those few, generalized, who can use marijuana to ease the pain of cancers, I agree with you.
However, I do believe that it should be regulated like any other narcotic. In the case of those being helped by Hospice. Let the nurses, etc., make sure it's not being abused.
Example: Family member, friend, etc. having a smoke or hit with the intended user. Things of this sort.
I am not one to deny one from easing their pain, legally. "
However, I do believe that it should be regulated like any other narcotic. In the case of those being helped by Hospice. Let the nurses, etc., make sure it's not being abused.
Example: Family member, friend, etc. having a smoke or hit with the intended user. Things of this sort.
I am not one to deny one from easing their pain, legally. "
spencer wrote on Feb 17, 2008 1:57 PM:
" I wouldn't care if the government regulated medical marijuana similarly to plutonium. Keep the laws against recreational use and continue the anti-drug campaign. If smoking a plant provides relief to someone fighting against a killer disease, there must be a way to make it available. Sodapop, I hope you've won your battle. And AMEN to the nurse and the hospital. "
dragonfly wrote on Feb 18, 2008 8:32 AM:
" Wow--where has this conversation gone? I just want to say thanks to the Bentonville PD and the Rogers PD for a job well done. It sounds like a bunch of drugs were taken off our streets. That is wonderful. I can't help but get tickled how far we do stray off the storylines. But it does keep it interesting. "
kat65 wrote on Feb 18, 2008 12:40 PM:
" Those of us who disagree with the marijuana laws must work to change the law. It won't happen in my lifetime, but I hope sometime in the future that it will be de-criminalized and regulated much the same as alcohol. Take it away from the drug dealers who sell (and push) chemicals to children.
BTW, I am an MD with years of training and experience, so fire away, I'm ducking. "
BTW, I am an MD with years of training and experience, so fire away, I'm ducking. "
sqirt wrote on Feb 19, 2008 5:03 PM:
" thank you masonsorm1958, alot of people use it as recreational purposes, yet alot of people use it for mendical reasons. my wife was one, and i was an other. but our government demands that it not be used because it takes too much money out of the Rx pockets, etc. i wasn't buying it, i wasn't selling it. i was growing for our person use for medical reasons. now i am a felon and have had to pay a large fine and have to spend $25 a month on probation fees. i also now have to take legal opiates for my pain and my wife has to take some of those meds that cause strokes, etc. for her severe athritis. we are stuck taking poisons that the government says is good for us. isn't that a joke? and the american people are so stupid they believe what our government tells them them. it'sad, but a fact. "
sqirt wrote on Feb 19, 2008 5:17 PM:
" any body out there that believes that marijuana is addicting is not informed of the true facts. in 5000 yrs no body has died because of marijuana. people who get caught with marijuana fall back on, "i can't help it, i am a addict". they do that because alot of people who don't know the facts beleive them and feel pity for them. it is not addicting. i smused it for yrs and when the police slammed me to the ground and the court D.A. threatened me with 30 yrs in prison for having 3 small plants, i had no problem quitting the herb. i have known many people over the yrs that have used and had no problem stopping. criminals use it as an excuse for commiting the crimes they get caught for and like drunks hope that our system will go easy on them because they are hooked. wake up america and see the reality of what is. our government lie to us they decieve us and then if we stand up and call them on it they put us in jail. that's why there are more americans in prison or jail then any other country in the world. we are a police state. "
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native44 wrote on Feb 13, 2008 9:07 PM: