Convicted Druggie Caught Trying to Enter F.E. Warren With Marijuana

A 61-year-old Richmond, Indiana man is facing a felony charge after he was reportedly caught with marijuana after trying to get onto F.E. Warren Air Force Base.

According to a booking sheet, a Wyoming Highway Patrol sergeant was dispatched to Gate 5 on Saturday, March 1, after military police working the gate stopped Jimmy Dean Townsend, who had an open container in his vehicle, and requested help.

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Open Container Leads to Marijuana

The sergeant says that when he started to talk with Townsend, he noticed that Townsend had a dry mouth, bruxism (grinding of the teeth), exaggerated muscle tremors in his hands, was unable to stand still on his feet, and was chewing on his bottom lip, all signs of stimulant use.

When asked about it, Townsend reportedly told the sergeant that he had some marijuana in his pocket and handed him a wooden smoking device and a THC vape pen.

The sergeant says Townsend told him that he had a jar of marijuana products in his vehicle inside a golf bag, and a probable cause search of his vehicle revealed the jar of marijuana products.

The sergeant says Townsend also told him that he had used methamphetamine in the last 24 hours and had possessed methamphetamine but couldn't remember where he'd put it.

Criminal History Check Leads to Felony Charge

After running Townsend through standardized field sobriety tests and determining he wasn't impaired enough for a DUI, the sergeant had dispatch run a criminal history check, which showed Townsend had been convicted of drug possession in 2005, 2015, and 2019.

Townsend was arrested and subsequently charged with possession of a controlled substance - third or subsequent offense, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, up to a $5,000 fine, or both.

Bond Set at $3K Cash

Townsend made his initial appearance in Laramie County Circuit Court on Tuesday, March 4, during which his bond was set at $3,000 cash, and his preliminary hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, at 3:30 p.m.

Please remember that all suspects are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.