A Kansas City man is accused of unlawfully possessing a firearm while having a controlled substance.
According to authorities, a 9-1-1 call came in at about 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, reporting alleged drug activity going on inside a vehicle at the QuikTrip in Parkville.
When police arrived at the scene, they observed a silver Nissan Versa parked out front of the gas station. A strong odor of marijuana was permeating from the front open window of the vehicle, court documents say.
The officer approached the vehicle and asked the occupants if there were any illegal substances inside the vehicle.
Dalton Ruiter, 23, who was riding shotgun, immediately confessed to having marijuana in his backpack, say court documents.
When the officer asked if there were any firearms inside the vehicle, Ruiter said he had a loaded gun in his right pants pocket.
Before taking Ruiter into custody, police confiscated the Ruger LC9 handgun loaded with 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
At the police station, officers searched the backpack and allegedly found 1.2 grams of marijuana, a smoking pipe and half a dozen vape vials filled with THC oil. A digital scale and black pouch containing 10 pills of Alprazolam, used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, were also allegedly located inside the backpack.
While in custody, Ruiter told police the backpack and all the illegal contents inside were his alone.
“The driver had nothing to do with this and that this is all me, 100%,” states court documents.
The Platte County Prosecutor’s Office charged Ruiter with possession of Alprazolam, a controlled substance, and unlawful use of a weapon; in that he possessed a handgun while possessing a controlled substance.
Ruiter is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, Oct. 17.