COEUR d’ALENE — A 60-year-old Oregon man, who had nearly 12 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of the Nissan with a Nevada plate he drove east through Idaho in the dark last month, waived a preliminary hearing in First District Court.

Christopher Crittondon, of Wolf Creek, is charged with trafficking marijuana, a felony. He appeared in First District Magistrate Court last week, where he chose to waive a probable cause hearing, which means his next appearance will be in felony court.

He was also charged by police with misdemeanors including possession of paraphernalia and an open container.

Crittondon was heading east in a Nissan Altima through the fog on Interstate 90 after midnight on Christmas Eve when a trooper saw him veer back and forth across the centerline.

Police said Crittondon was traveling 71 mph in a 65 mph zone through the Coeur d’Alene city limits near the 15th Street overpass when troopers stopped the Nissan around 3 a.m.

Troopers said they could smell marijuana as soon as Crittondon rolled down his window.

Crittondon told police he had smoked pot earlier in the day and officers noticed an open container of hard lemonade in the center console of the car. After a search, police found 11.55 pounds of marijuana in the trunk, along with scales and paraphernalia, according to police.

Crittondon, who told state troopers he was a self-employed wood cutter, has previous felony convictions in Oregon, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and controlled substance delivery. He was also convicted in 1999 of two counts of felony forgery, according to charging documents.

A conviction of trafficking 5 pounds or more of marijuana carries a mandatory sentence of three years in prison in Idaho, and a $10,000 fine.

The case was remanded to District Judge Scott Wayman’s court. A date for an arraignment hasn’t been set.

Crittondon is in the Kootenai County Jail on a $75,000 bond.