CLARION CO., Pa. (EYT) A Rimersburg man is in hot water after authorities seized marijuana that was in his possession while being processed at the Clarion County Jail on an out-of-county warrant.
According to court documents, the following criminal charges were recently filed against 40-year-old Donald Ray Marquis in Magisterial District Judge Timothy P. Schill’s office.
– Possession of Controlled Substance, Contraband/Inmate, Felony 2
– Intentionally Possessing a Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor
Clarion County Detectives were approached by officers from the Clarion County Jail on November 4, 2021, and were provided with an evidence bag that contained suspected marijuana and reports from a corrections officer regarding the incident, according to a criminal complaint.
The officer advised briefly that Donald Marquis was booked into the jail on November 3, 2021, on an out-of-county warrant.
Marquis was asked if he had anything on him he should not have, and he replied “no.” He was then patted down by the corrections officer. After being patted down, Marquis was observed on security cameras by an officer in the control room removing an item from his right front pants pocket and placing it into a pair of overalls he was folding to go into his property, the complaint states.
Officers then searched the pair of overalls and located a baggie that contained a small amount of marijuana and another baggie with an unknown powder substance, brown in color. Police packaged and sent the evidence to the Erie Regional Lab for testing, the complaint indicates.
Police interviewed Marquis on November 5, around 2:48 p.m. Marquis stated that the marijuana police found is actually CBD weed and is legal, as he bought it at a gas station in Rimersburg, Pa. Police asked Marquis why he tried to hide it from the guards, and he stated that he did not know it was in his pocket. When he realized it, he already told them he didn’t have anything and was scared that they think it was marijuana. Police told Marquis that they believe it was marijuana and will send it to the Crime Lab for testing before moving forward with the investigation, the complaint notes.
On February 28, state police received a report that the tested evidence weighed .40 grams and contained marijuana, a Schedule I drug. The total delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) concentration was greater than .3% by weight, the complaint states.
He was arraigned at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13, with Judge Schill presiding.
His bail was set at $10,000.00 unsecured.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, in Clarion County Central Court; however, the court document has not yet been updated.
In Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Marquis was facing charges for a third-degree misdemeanor charge of Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, and a Summary charge of Disorderly Conduct Hazardous/Physi Offense stemming from an April 10, 2021 incident. Marquis pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and the theft charge was dismissed. A restitution order was issued on March 29, 2022.