Man arrested on multiple felony charges after trafic stop
A North Carolina man was arrested on multiple felony charges involving drugs and a firearm after a routine traffic stop in Mountain Pine late Friday.
Juston Cole Schuman, 23, who lists a High Point, N.C., address, was taken into custody around 10 p.m. and charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, involving heroin and meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years in prison.
Schuman, who also had two warrants for failure to appear, was being held on a zero bond and was set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Mountain Pine Police Officer Steve Pirozzolo made a traffic stop on a black Infiniti at the corner of Blakely Dam Road and Main Street after noting the license plate light was broken.
He made contact with the driver, later identified as Schuman, and a computer check showed his driver’s license was suspended and revealed the failure to appear warrants, so he was taken into custody.
Schuman reportedly agreed to let officers search his vehicle for contraband or weapons and in doing so they allegedly located a disassembled pistol, numerous rounds of 9-mm ammunition, a sunglasses pouch containing a smoking pipe and 0.06 gram of what later tested positive for heroin.
Next to the driver’s seat officers also found 0.10 gram of what later tested positive for meth.
According to local court records, Schuman had several traffic-related offenses going back to 2020, but no prior arrests involving drugs or other felonies.