Idaho Falls man in custody for allegedly trafficking meth
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IDAHO FALLS – A 34-year-old man is in custody on a felony drug trafficking charge in Idaho Falls.
Police reports show Jeremy Orvil Johnson was arrested at the Stinker Station at 1485 West Broadway on March 8 for a parole violation.
Idaho Falls police officers arrived shortly after 6 p.m. and found Johnson handcuffed in the back seat of a state parole agent’s vehicle. Peter Lewis, another man standing beside a red Subaru, was also handcuffed.
The two parole agents on scene told officers they had a warrant for Lewis’s arrest. They had been looking for him and been tipped off he was going to be at that location.
“They arrived at the Stinker Station and located Lewis in the passenger seat of the Subaru. Johnson was seated in the driver’s seat,” an officer writes in an affidavit of probable cause.
After detaining and arresting Lewis, the parole agents allegedly found a small dime bag with dollar signs printed on it inside his pocket. Shards of methamphetamine about the size of a grain of rice were inside the bag, the report says.
The agents then questioned Johnson and learned he was on parole. During a search of the vehicle, they reportedly found a black sock containing a large zip lock bag underneath the driver’s seat. Two smaller “sandwich size” zip lock bags were inside, which contained a white, crystal-like substance they believed was meth.
The IFPD officers later confirmed it was a large “rock” of meth about the size of a golf ball. There was also another rock about the size of a pea, along with several other smaller pieces.
Officers spoke with Johnson and learned he had borrowed the Subaru from a friend earlier that day. He picked up Lewis prior to arriving at the Stinker Station. After telling officers the meth did not belong to him, Johnson said he didn’t want to say anything else.
Once Johnson was booked in jail, a test of the samples came back positive for meth. Officers set it aside to be sent to the state lab for further testing. Lewis later admitted the meth in the car was his but wanted to talk to an attorney before providing any more information, according to court documents.
“A records check on Johnson revealed he is on state probation. Johnson informed me he is on probation for possession of a controlled substance for sale,” the officer writes.
The total amount of drugs found was 37.3 grams. One bag had 2.9 grams and another bag had 34.4 grams.
Johnson made his initial appearance in court Wednesday. Magistrate Judge Kent Gauchay set his bond at $25,000. A preliminary hearing is set for March 22.