Just after 6:30 a.m., on June 29, a Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a Ford F150 driven by 27-year-old Richard Arrington from Missouri for a moving violation on east I40 near Ash Fork. Arrington’s 5-year-son as a passenger in the truck.
During a conversation with Arrington, the deputy could detect a marijuana odor coming from the vehicle interior. When the deputy challenged Arrington regarding the odor, his demeanor became one of panic and worries for his son.
He asked about the deputy’s K9 partner sitting at the ready in the patrol car. Arrington denied transporting any drugs and claimed the odor was from a marijuana cigarette he smoked the previous night.
When Arrington realized the truck would be searched to determine the source of the odor, he admitted transporting about 120 pounds of marijuana. At the conclusion of the search, deputies found 5 duffle bags containing packaged marijuana with a weight later determined at 178 pounds. Some of the marijuana was stored next to Arrington’s son. Nearly 2 thousand dollars in cash was also found along with cell phones and marijuana stored in a jar kept in the center console.
Arrington’s son was released to the custody of the Department of Child Safety pending contact with his mother.
Arrington was booked into the Camp Verde Detention Center on charges Transportation of Marijuana for Sale, Possession of Marijuana for Sale, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Child Abuse. He remains in-custody on a $100,000 bond.