A Bastrop man was found in possession of several pounds of marijuana after he was stopped on Interstate 20 near Ruston by Louisiana State Police.
Carlos D. Barnes, 22, was stopped on December 27 for improper brake lights and following another vehicle all at an unsafe distance.
Barnes said the vehicle belonged to a passenger and he was unaware of the malfunctioning brake lights. Barnes said he was traveling to Bastrop after taking his child to an appointment in Dallas. A trooper wrote in his report that when he asked Barnes the location of the appointment, Barnes became very quiet and stared at the trunk of the vehicle, leaning forward as if he was going to faint. The trooper grabbed Barnes to safely escort him to the ground.
Although Barnes said his legs had become weak, but he was okay, the trooper noticed several signs of stress typical of someone engaged in criminal activity.
A state police drug detection K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. Troopers found a black trash bag in the trunk containing five large vacuum sealed bags containing suspected marijuana. The marijuana weighed approximately 5.25 pounds.
Initially, Barnes said the marijuana did not belong to him, but later admitted ownership and that the passenger was not involved. The passenger and Barnes ‘s 9-month-old son were released.
Barnes was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for a possession of marijuana within intent to distribute and cruelty to juveniles.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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