Crime & Safety
Plymouth Man Arrested for Drug Possession After Traffic Stop
Police say Clarence Eugene Kitchen had marijuana and cocaine in his car when he was stopped for speeding in Maple Grove.
A Plymouth man has been charged with drug possession after police say they found several marijuana “blunts” and cocaine inside his car after a traffic stop.
Clarence Eugene Kitchen, 55, is charged with fifth-degree drug possession, a felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The charge also carries a mandatory minimum penalty of six months in jail and a $6,000 fine.
According to the criminal complaint, signed by Maple Grove Police Officer Shawn Watson, police recorded Kitchen driving 85 mph in a 60 mph zone on Interstate 494 near East Fish Lake Road on Nov. 7.
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An officer stopped Kitchen near Quinwood Lane North and Bass Lake Road. While he was speaking to Kitchen, the officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car.
Kitchen admitted that he had several “blunts,” cigars with marijuana inside, according to the complaint. The officer also found a pack of cigarettes in the driver’s side map pocket; inside the cigarette package were two bindles of cocaine, which weighed 2.07 grams, the complaint charges.
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Kitchen was convicted in 1996 of first-degree drug possession and served a year in jail, followed by 10 years of probation. Because of the earlier conviction, the charge against him is more severe.
Kitchen has been released from custody on a $7,500 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Jan. 8 in Hennepin County District Court.
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