North Dakota man arrested in Pocatello gets 10 years in prison for trafficking meth
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POCATELLO — A man who was arrested when Idaho state troopers found him with of 3 pounds of methamphetamine has been sent to prison.
Richard Eugene Beeson, 45, pleaded to trafficking meth after reaching a plea agreement with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office. In exchange, a persistent violator enhancement was dismissed.
At a Nov. 13 hearing, Beeson was sentenced to a prison term of five to 10 years by District Judge Robert Naftz, court records show.
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Beeson was arrested in June following a traffic stop on Interstate 86 in Pocatello. Police reports show he made a lane change without using a signal.
Asked if he would consent to a search of the vehicle, Beeson told the trooper he did not have anything to hide but knew his rights, and denied to consent to the search.
Troopers had a narcotics K9 perform an open-air sniff near the car. The dog alerted to the presence of drugs inside the vehicle.
With that, troopers searched the vehicle and found a lockbox containing a THC vape pen and 1,350.9 grams — about 2.98 pounds — of meth.
Beeson received credit toward his prison sentence for 161 days time served. He has also been ordered to pay $10,572.50 in fees and fines.