HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A 51-year-old man was before Magistrate Judge Cheryl Allen after being arrested just before 1 a.m. Friday.
John David Smalling Sr. of Hutchinson was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of personal use drug paraphernalia and interference with law enforcement.
A Reno County Sheriff Deputy says he was westbound on U.S. 50 when he ran the tag on a white pickup and discovered the owner of the truck had a suspended license and possible warrants. He says he stopped the vehicle in the 1000 block of South Main in South Hutchinson. The officer says the driver was Dee Smalling. The passenger was Smalling, but allegedly gave the deputy a different name, that being James Ray. The deputy eventually found a wallet that had a Kansas ID card that showed his real name.
During a search of Smalling, the deputy found a medium-sized bag of a white crystal substance in one of his pockets. In the other, the deputy allegedly found a large bag of the same thing. Smalling allegedly admitted it was methamphetamine. The deputy also allegedly found a silver aluminum pipe inside his right sock.
He was taken to jail on the charges and appeared before the judge where she left the bond at $13,000. She set another hearing for next Friday to see if the state has filed formal charges.
Smalling has served time in prison for drug charges, theft and obstruction convictions out of Pratt County. He also has a prior conviction for violation of the offender registration act out of Reno County.