According to court records filed Tuesday in Sequoyah County District Court in Sallisaw, Michael Jamison, 19, Erica Kinchion, 22, and William Johnson, 19, all of Oklahoma City, face charges of unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of paraphernalia. Kinchion also faces misdemeanor charges of driving under suspension and transporting an open container, stemming from a May 25 incident in Vian. As of Tuesday all three remained in jail on a $30,000 bond each.
According to Vian Assistant Police Chief Steve Brackett's police report, he and several other Vian police officers were conducting a safety checkpoint on the night of May 25 when a black Honda, which was driven by Kinchion and traveling north on State Highway 82, pulled up to the checkpoint.
When officers asked to see Kinchion's driver's license and insurance, Kinchion told police that her license had been suspended. Brackett reported that after police verified that Kinchion's license had been suspended, she was placed under arrest.
Once she was in the patrol car, Brackett reported that he could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage and asked Kinchion if she had had anything to drink. Kinchion told police that she had an open beer in her car that she had been drinking.
Brackett reported that police got the three passengers in Kinchion's vehicle out of the car. A search of the vehicle uncovered a can of beer in the glove box and two empty beer bottles under the driver's seat. Police also found, under the driver's seat, the ashtray from the vehicle's center console, along with a green leafy substance beside the ashtray. More marijuana was uncovered under the passenger seat and both sides of the back seats. Brackett reported that the search also uncovered a gray duffel bag that contained four bags of a green leafy substance inside that later tested positive for marijuana and a set of digital scales.
Under the spare tire in the trunk area, police also found another set of digital scales and eight small bags with dollar signs on them, Brackett reported. Police also seized $595 on the suspects.
All four were placed under arrest. Police later discovered that one of the suspects lied about her identity and was a juvenile. She was held at the Vian Police Department until her parents could pick her up. Juvenile Services was contacted and she was set to meet with them on June 8, Brackett reported.
The other three suspects were taken to the Sequoyah County Jail. Brackett reported that Jamison took responsibility for what was found in the vehicle.
