A Sallisaw man was arrested Aug. 12 after an investigation by the District 27 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, along with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
Marcus Eveland, 38, was charged with possession of a firearm after former felony conviction and cultivation of a controlled substance, both felonies. He was also hit with two misdemeanor counts for the possession of a controlled dangerous substance and the unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Eveland faces up to 10 years in prison on each felony charge.
On Aug. 12, the drug task force was conducting a probation check on East 1132 Road when they drove past a residence that had several marijuana plants growing in containers beside it. After the probation check, the agents went back to that residence, but the two containers were missing.
An agent knocked on the door and a white male identified as Eveland answered. When asked about the plants, Eveland said there were “none here” to his knowledge. There was a small container with several small marijuana plants in it sitting near Eveland and when agents brought it to Eveland’s attention, he said, “Yeah, they belong to my roommate who is at Brushy at the moment.” Eveland said.
While standing near the back of the house, agents spotted several head-high marijuana plants. Eveland was asked if he took the plants that were in the missing containers inside the house, but he said he had not taken them.
Eveland gave the agents permission to search the home, and they found several marijuana plants, which Eveland said belonged to his roommate. The agents walked to where the large plants were and they counted 11 growing marijuana plants, all of which were in the flowering stage.
Back at the residence, agents retrieved a glass jar containing about an ounce of a green, leafy substance, which field-tested positive for marijuana.
The agents also discovered a black, Sears & Roebuck J.C. Higgins .12-gauge pump shotgun, which appeared to have been manufactured before serial numbers were required. The barrel of the gun appeared to be altered and measured about 18 inches long. Eveland said “Yep, that’s my roommate’s shotgun!”
Eveland did claim possession of methamphetamine after agents discovered a bag of it just inside the home’s entryway, saying, “That’s mine. It’s meth a friend gave me.”
When asked why he was blaming others, Eveland admitted to being a felon with drug charges in Kansas. The agents had Eveland call his roommate who said he didn’t know there was a gun in his home and said he knew about the marijuana plants being there.
About 30 minutes later, a vehicle pulled up with an older couple and a young male who identified himself as the alleged roommate and showed the agents his medical marijuana card. Questioned away from Eveland, the man said he did not live at the home but was allowing Eveland to live there. He said he was last at the residence several weeks ago and had planted six small marijuana plants behind the house and left.
The man Eveland claimed was his roommate told the agents he knew nothing about meth or paraphernalia in the house. The older woman who pulled up in the vehicle told agents the gun was hers, and she said she bought it from someone a few months ago and she knew she couldn't keep it at her house because there is a felon who lives with her, so she left it with Eveland. The woman said she was not aware that Eveland was also a felon.
All of the marijuana plants, 18 in total, were seized.
Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer
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