A man from Michigan was taken into custody after he left behind a rental car full of pot on Interstate-70 and ran from law enforcement.
According to Captain Jim Hughes with the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy attempted to make a traffic stop Saturday just after midnight on I-70 near the Halstead exit for driving in the passing lane.
Hughes says 32-year-old Juan Carrasco-Cardenas of Detroit, MI initially pulled over his 2018 Chevy Equinox, but then accelerated and drove away as the deputy approached the car on foot.
A mile later, Carrasco-Cardenas pulled over and he and a passenger jumped out and ran away.
A search of the abandoned vehicle led to the discovery of 15-pounds of marijuana packaged for sale in a suitcase. The two suspects were not found during an initial sweep of the area.
Around 3:40pm a landowner saw a man hiding in a tree line in the 4600 block of W. Pleasantville Road and called authorities.
Deputies responded and arrested Carrasco-Cardenas about a half mile north of where he had originally left his car behind.
The other suspect has not been found.
Carrasco-Cardenas is now facing charges that include drug possession with intent to distribute, interference with law enforcement and trespass.