Chase Joseph Durand, 34, who lives in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton, was allegedly found with a substance that tested positive as methamphetamine and a gun. A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy found the items after being called to check on Durand who was passed out in a pickup outside of a Barnhart auto parts store, according to court documents.
Durand has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; and unlawful use of a weapon for possessing a weapon and a controlled substance, a class E felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, court records show.
He was arrested on Oct. 23, and as of Nov. 4, he was being held on a $10,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court documents said.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, a deputy on Aug. 23, 2024, was called to the AutoZone Auto Parts store, 1704 Catlin Drive, in Barnhart because of a 2003 Chevrolet S-10 parked in the parking lot. When the deputy arrived, he found Durand sleeping with what appeared to be drug paraphernalia on his lap.
The deputy also allegedly found a crystal-like substance in a luggage bag, and gun under the bag. The man told the deputy the gun belonged to him, but he did not know about the meth, the report said.
The man said the luggage bag did not belong to him, according to the report.
The pickup was not registered to the man, but the man said he did drive it on a regular basis and most of the items inside belonged to him, the report said.