Photo: Randy William Vaught
A minor traffic stop ended up plunging a Henderson man into major hot water – including picking up a charge accusing him of having simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, a Class Y felony, the most serious classification of crime in Arkansas not punishable by death.
During a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday, the attorney for 66-year-old Randy William Vaught asked the court to have his client reappear Sept. 10 and told Judge Gordon Webb the case should be resolved at that time.
In early January last year, an Arkansas State Police trooper stopped a vehicle being driven by Vaught.
Vaught told the trooper he had a gun behind the driver’s seat. A loaded .22-caliber handgun was found and taken into evidence.
The trooper also found a “stash can” with three plastic bags containing a substance field testing positive for methamphetamine and a small bag of marijuana.
“Stash cans” are manufactured to mimic everything from containers of whole kernel corn to soft drinks to household cleansers. The cans have a twist off top and a void where drugs can be hidden.
Vaught denied the illegal items were his, but did claim ownership of the jacket in which the “stash can” was found.
Vaught has been free on a $20,000 bond.
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