A Baxter County man pled guilty during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court on June 12 to charges stemming from a mid-May traffic stop during which he was reported to have been less that cooperative with law officers.
Sixty-two-year-old John Denzer, who lists an address along Cranfield Road, was sentenced to 36-months probation on charges of tampering with physical evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The traffic stop was made on the Sheid-Hopper Bypass when a Mountain Home police officer saw a blue Chevrolet Impala that had expired Minnesota license tags.
From the first, Denzer was reported to be upset, asking the officer why he was being pulled over before the officer had a chance to say anything.
During the stop, it was found Denzer had an active waiver on file permitting warrantless searches of person and property. He was asked to step out of his vehicle.
The officer reported it took several requests before Denzer complied and went to stand with another officer who had arrived on scene.
While the first officer proceeded to search the vehicle, he heard the second policeman tell Denzer to put his hands behind his back.
Denzer refused the commands and was taken to the ground and put in handcuffs. The second officer reported that while standing with Denzer, he saw a glass pipe used to ingest methamphetamine fall from his shorts.
At one point, Denzer was alleged to have stepped on the pipe several times.
Denzer first told the officers the pipe was not his, but later said he “used it to smoke oils.”
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