Man allegedly found in possession of unspecified amount of fentanyl charged with felony
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POCATELLO — A Pocatello man whom officers say was in possession of fentanyl at the time of a warrant arrest has been charged with a drug crime.
Andrew Brady Farnsworth, 26, faces a felony for possession of a controlled substance following his May 11 arrest, according to court documents.
The incident began at around 1:30 a.m. when a Pocatello police officer was parked near the intersection of Partridge Cove and Satterfield Drive, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The officer ran a license plate displayed on a green Honda Civic as it passed them. The Honda was registered to Farnsworth, who had an active warrant.
After requesting assistance, the officer approached Farnsworth, who had exited the vehicle and was walking toward a home in the area.
The officer told Farnsworth that he was going to be detained for the warrant.
A narcotic K9 handled by one of the officers who responded to the area indicated the presence of drugs in Farnsworth’s car, the affidavit says.
Officers searched the vehicle, finding an empty bag they determined to be clean. But a search of the Honda’s exterior uncovered a bag of pills the officers believed to be “dirty 30” fentanyl pills.
The affidavit did not specify how many pills were in the bag officers found.
When officers asked Farnsworth about the pills, he allegedly admitted that they were dirty 30 fentanyl pills and that they did belong to him.
According to recent comments made by JaNiece Price, a deputy prosecutor with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office, determining charges for fentanyl possession is difficult.
At a recent town hall meeting hosted by Gov. Brad Little’s fentanyl task force, Price said that her office struggles with determining punishments for fentanyl crimes. The issue, she said, is that fentanyl is not a defined drug in the Idaho penal code, meaning there is no outlined delineation between possession, possession with intent to deliver and trafficking.
Farnsworth was transported to Bannock County Jail, where he was booked and is being held on a $15,000 bond.
Although Farnsworth has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Farnsworth could face up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines.
He is scheduled to appear in court before Magistrate Judge David Kress for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.