Monticello men arrested, face drug, weapons charges

PRAIRIE GROVE — Two Monticello men were arrested and face drug and weapons charges Sunday after an officer saw a pickup being driven erratically on U.S. 62, according to a police report.

The officer stopped the pickup about 1:48 a.m. The driver, Jacob Darnell, 20, and the passenger, Collin Barnett, 18, said they missed their turn.

The men told the officer there was a gun in the truck, and the officer saw a .22-caliber pistol on the seat between them. When asked, the men said there also was an AR-15 rifle in the back seat.

The officer said there was a slight odor of marijuana, according to the report. The two men denied there was any in the pickup.

Barnett said the pistol was his, and Darnell said the AR15 was his. The officer said Darnell gave him permission to look at the AR-15, and, while he was moving a bag, he smelled “an overwhelming odor of marijuana,” according to the report.

The men said they had smoked some marijuana in the pickup earlier in the day, police said. A search found two large bags of marijuana, two jars containing marijuana, a scale and a grinder, according to the report. Police said $980 in cash also was found in the bag.

Darnell and Barnett were arrested in connection with possession of drugs with intent to deliver, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Each man was released Sunday from the Washington County Detention Center on $3,500 bond.