Eight car backup leads to felony arrest

DAVENPORT — A man who was pulled over for creating an eight-car backup on Highway 2 in Lincoln County has been charged with possession of methamphetamine that was discovered by officers during a traffic stop.

Jebediah Willyard, 38, was stopped by a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy on Feb. 11 for causing an eight-car backup of traffic with his 1988 Chevy pickup. The officer, who was at the end of the line of cars, noted the truck was only driving 50 miles an hour an a 60 mph zone.

Upon stopping the truck, Deputy Cuzzetto noted Willyard had a suspended license and a felony warrant out of Stevens County for possession of methamphetamines. Willyard was arrested and the truck was searched in connection with the arrest. The search turned up multiple suspicious items, including a pill case with a number of pills, a glass pipe with white and black residue and a semi-automatic rifle.

Despite the presence of these items, the Lincoln County Prosecutor’s Office did not charge Willyard with Possession of a Controlled Substance until June 30.

Lincoln County Prosecutor Jeff Barkdull said this is due to a backup at the state crime lab.

“We can’t charge someone until we get the drug test results back,” Barkdull explained, noting that a four month delay for results is not uncommon.

“The time for getting results has actually gotten better since the legislature provided some extra funding for the lab,” he noted.

Willyard is scheduled for a hearing in Lincoln County Superior Court on July 21.