4XL man back in pen for weed case
Ralph Bartholdt Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 5 months AGO
COEUR d’ALENE — An Oregon man who skipped bond after being busted in Idaho while en route to Montana to sell eight pounds of dispensary cannabis is back in jail following his arrest Monday on a warrant.
Dylan Lerch, 28, who was originally charged with trafficking, was supposed to be sentenced last spring for a reduced charge of delivery of marijuana, which carries up to five years in prison and a $15,000 fine. He failed to show up for hearings.
When he didn’t appear in a Coeur d’Alene court in March, Lerch told his attorney he had wrecked his car near the Tri-Cities after hitting a patch of ice and veering off the road.
Judge Lansing Haynes revoked a $20,000 bond and ordered a bench warrant for Lerch’s arrest.
The case started almost a year ago, when Lerch and three friends drove from Bend to Montana in a maroon Nissan Frontier with a broken taillight. The Frontier was stopped by Idaho State Police on Interstate 90 for illegal lane changes.
Troopers said they smelled cannabis inside the Nissan and found methamphetamine and paraphernalia as well as marijuana inside the pickup truck.
In a duffel bag, troopers found vacuum-sealed bags of clothing that were wrapped around packages of marijuana, according to police.
The men denied knowing about the pot before fingering each other for the crime, police said. But Lerch was charged with trafficking because the marijuana was wrapped in size 4XL shirts. Lerch, who weighs 450 pounds, happens to wear size 4XL. The other two men in the truck combined to weigh about 335.
Lerch also had text messages relating to drug dealing on his cellphone, according to a police report.
Both the driver of the pickup truck, Joseph Hart, 38, and the other passenger, Chad Oxenford, 27, were sentenced to four years suspended for possession of a controlled substance, two years probation and 100 hours of community service.
Lerch’s next hearing will be within 14 days.
ARTICLES BY RALPH BARTHOLDT STAFF WRITER
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