ECHO, Summit County — A Minnesota man is accused of transporting more than 100 pounds of marijuana through Utah.
Kristopher Jon Mathiowetz, 47, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with possession of 100 pounds or more of marijuana, a second-degree felony; and being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony.
On Oct. 27, about 2:40 a.m., Mathiowetz was pulled over on I-80 near Echo Reservoir by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper for allegedly failing to dim the high beams of his minivan as oncoming traffic approached, according to charging documents.
As the trooper spoke with Mathiowetz, charges say he detected an odor of marijuana.
"A subsequent search by police revealed 133 pounds of raw marijuana, 400 pre-rolled marijuana joints, (nearly 23) pounds of THC wax and a handgun," the charges state. "Mathiowetz admitted … that he was being paid by a friend of a friend to transport the THC products."
Mathiowetz's arrest that morning marked the second large drug bust by UHP troopers in the same area just 2½ hours apart.
