HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 53-year-old Hutchinson man was arrested and made a first appearance Wednesday morning on a methamphetamine distribution charge, among others.
Darren Stephenson is also charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, no tax stamp and personal use drug paraphernalia.
A drug-related search was done on his property in the 1400 block of North Forest. Drug Unit detectives say that inside his bedroom, they found a wooden box containing a digital scale with white residue, new baggies, a zip-close bag with a crystal substance—later determined to be three grams of meth—a glass pipe with burnt vegetation, another pipe with burnt residue, a second baggie with green vegetation that weighed about a gram and tested positive for marijuana, and a used bag with crystal residue which is also believed to have been meth.
In court, he was assigned the Regional Public Defenders Office to represent him and bond was left at $16,500.
Stephenson has prior convictions for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and obstruction of the legal process for crimes in Rice County. The indecent liberties charge goes back to 1999 and the obstruction charge occurred back in 2006.
He’ll be back in court on Oct. 16 for the formal reading of charges.