By Pat Culverhouse

A Minden police officer working traffic control on Interstate 20 stopped a speeding vehicle Friday afternoon which led to more than a traffic ticket for an Arkansas man, Chief of Police Jared McIver said.

McIver said Santario Rumeal Carson, 32 of El Dorado is being held for  simple possession of marijuana, injuring public records, failure to identify and as a fugitive from Union County, Arkansas. He is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center facing bond of $3,000.

Minden Officer Branthony Brown reportedly stopped Carson for traveling 93 mph in a 70 mph zone while heading west near Exit 44 on I-20. After the stop, the officer reportedly smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

According to an incident report, the driver gave Officer Brown a false name, then declared he had no identification on his person. After determining the identification was false, the officer received permission to search the vehicle.

Inside the car’s center console, Officer Brown reportedly found 28.67 ounces of natural marijuana. Following the discovery, Carson admitted he had given a false name to avoid arrest on outstanding Arkansas warrants.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.