A South Dakota man is facing five felony charges following a traffic stop in Box Butte County that yielded drugs and a weapon.
Dakota Young, 30, of Oglala, S.D., was taken into custody on July 19. According to the Affidavit for Custody, a Trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol was on patrol on Highway 385 near mile marker 135 at around 12:16 a.m., when they observed a 2005 Pontiac G6 with a South Dakota License Plate traveling northbound. The trooper noted that the passenger tail light was broken and missing a red lens.
The trooper conducted a traffic stop, and, when they approached the vehicle, noticed the smell of marijuana emitting from the vehicle.
When the trooper made contact with the driver, the driver, who was later identified as Dakota Young, noted that he was aware of the defect and that he was borrowing the vehicle, and had trouble providing the registration. Young provided an Oglala Lakota Tribal Identification card and said he did not have a license. When the trooper asked Young about his license, according to the Affidavit, Young told the trooper he had taken the test and failed.
While the trooper was next to the vehicle, they observed an ashtray in the center console cup holder, with a lit marijuana cigarette pushed down in the tray. The trooper also noted a brown paper marijuana dispensary bag on the passenger floor board, next to another black bag with rolling papers observed inside.
The trooper spoke with Young as he searched for vehicle information, and, during the conversation, Young told the trooper he was traveling from Alliance to Chadron after dropping someone off. The trooper also asked about the marijuana, and Young admitted marijuana was present in the vehicle.
“Young reached over to the passenger seat and picked up a black rectangular shaped container designed to hold cigarettes,” the Affidavit said. “Young indicated that he had another marijuana cigarette inside the container.”
According to the Affidavit, the trooper asked Young about other items of concern in the vehicle, and Young told the trooper about a pistol in the center console. When asked if he had a concealed firearm permit, Young told the trooper he did not.
“After exiting, Young disclosed that the firearm was his,” the Affidavit said. “He described it as a ‘ghost gun’ that he had built.”
The trooper initiated a probable cause search of the vehicle, with the help of another trooper. During the search, they located a loaded 9mm pistol without a serial number. They also located a black backpack with containers with THC labels on them, with each container determined to contain 3.5 grams of marijuana each.
The troopers then searched the trunk of the vehicle, locating a white trash bag with three bags of marijuana, two sheets of paper and two glass jars. Each bag of marijuana weighed one pound. One of the glass jars contained what the trooper recognized as THC wax, and the sheets of paper were recognized as sheets of pressed THC wax.
In the other glass jar, the trooper saw a plastic baggie with a white powdery substance in the shape of a ball at the bottom, which the trooper recognized as cocaine. A field test confirmed that the substance was cocaine.
When the search was concluded, Young was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Young was read his Miranda Rights, and Young agreed to speak with the trooper, and admitted the substance in the jar was cocaine.
“When asked further about his trip, Young advised that he had been coming from Denver that day where he had gotten the marijuana and cocaine,” the Affidavit said. “Young advised that he was not on his way to Chadron but on his way to the Pine Ridge Reservation.”
Young was transported to the Alliance Police Department, where he was seated in the interview room.
“Young admitted each sealed package of marijuana from the bag to be 1lb,” the Affidavit said. “Young admitted to buying them for $1,000 each. He stated that he could sell them for approximately $3,000 each on the Pine Ridge Reservation.”
During the interview, Young also told the trooper that the cocaine was for personal use. The cocaine was weighted at 13.1 grams in packaging.
Young was charged with possession of a firearm while committing a drug violation, a class 1C felony, possession of cocaine with intent, 10-27 grams, a class 1D felony, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, a class 2A felony, possession of a deadly weapon during the commissioner of a felony, a class 2 felony, no drug tax stamp, a class 4 felony, and carrying a concealed weapon, a class 1 misdemeanor. His bond was set at $30,000–10%.