For further information please contact: Sergeant Dale H. Moreland
(573) 840-9500
073040
July 30, 2007

EMPHASIS: Traffic Stop On I -155 Results In Drug Arrest




On July 14, 2007, at approximately 10:21 a.m., a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped a 1994 Kenworth traveling north on Interstate 155 at the E-2 North Weigh Station.

The driver, Joel W. Irby, 21, of Fort Opelousas, LA, was stopped for a routine check at the Missouri State Highway Patrol weigh station. While the trooper and commercial vehicle officer spoke to the driver he gave inconsistent information. When requested, the driver gave permission to search. A consent search revealed two baggies of marijuana in the sleeper berth. Irby was arrested for possession of marijuana and taken to the Pemiscot County Jail.

The charge for which Joel W. Irby was arrested is mere accusation and is not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charge must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.



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