24 lbs. of pot in Ore. leads to Spokane
The discovery of 24 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop in Oregon led police to arrest a suspected distributor in Spokane this week.
The investigation began when Kevin C. McKeag, 28, of Chattaroy, was arrested near Roseburg, Ore., Feb. 2 after a drug dog detected marijuana in his 2003 Dodge pickup during a stop on Interstate 5 about 5 p.m., according to the Oregon State Police.
Troopers found the marijuana in a hidden compartment in the truck. McKeag said he was traveling to Spokane to deliver the pot, according to police.
McKeag was transported to the Spokane office of the Drug Enforcement Administration after agreeing to cooperate with law enforcement. He told them he'd been transporting marijuana to Spokane from California for the past year to sell 12 or more pounds at a time to Jeremy Scott Thornton, according to court documents.
The Spokane Regional Drug Task Force arranged for McKeag to sell marijuana to Thornton, 35, in a monitored transaction on Feb. 3. Detectives then searched Thornton's home at 2509 E. Diamond Ave. Feb. 6 and arrested him on drug charges.
Thornton, a self-employed landscaper and avid disc golfer, left the Spokane County Jail Monday on $10,000 bond.