COLUMBIA — At about 9:34 p.m. Thursday, members of the Boone County Sheriff's Department's Proactive Patrol Unit stopped a vehicle traveling east on Interstate 70 between U.S. 63 and Lake of the Woods Road, according to a news release from the Boone County Sheriff's Department.
Sgt. Brit Shea of the Sheriff's Department said the vehicle was stopped after deputies scanned the license plate and discovered an active arrest warrant.
Deputies arrested the driver and searched the vehicle. The smell of marijuana led the deputies to discover 3 pounds of marijuana, according to the release.
Shea estimated the value of the marijuana to be near $2,400 and said it was not an uncommon amount.
"This is a group of guys whose job is to go out there and be proactive," Shea said of the Proactive Patrol Unit. "So this is a great job on their part."
The release identified the driver as 18-year-old Nicholas J.W. Porter of Fulton. In addition to the warrant, he was arrested on one count of distribution of a controlled substance, the release said. A Boone County judge set bond at $20,000 for the drug charge and $500 for the warrant.
A 15-year-old Fulton resident, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was detained on one count of distribution of a controlled substance and was later released to a guardian following a referral to the Boone County Juvenile Office.