Utah man charged in Hwy. 20E pot bust

A 36-year-old Utah man has been arrested along Highway 20 east of Bend after an Oregon State Police trooper found about 16 pounds of marijuana in his car’s trunk, troopers said Monday.

Hastings said the OSP’s Drug Enforcement Section’s investigation “has reached a point allowing release” of the information about last week’s traffic stop and charges.

Around 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday, the senior trooper stopped a 2006 Toyota Corolla with Utah license plates for equipment and lane-use violations as it headed east on Highway 20 near milepost 9, said OSP Lt. Gregg Hastings. The driver was identified as Jarred Ron Bowers, 36, of Kearns, Utah.

An investigation during the traffic stop led to the discovery of about 16 pounds of marijuana in the car’s trunk. The estimated value of the seized marijuana is $35,000 Hastings said.

Bowers was cited and released to appear in Deschutes County Circuit Court on marijuana manufacture, possession and distribution charges.