California Man Sentenced in Major Pot Bust Near Wichita Falls
A California man arrested with more than a million dollars in marijuana in his vehicle was sentenced on Friday in a Wichita County court. Samuel Herschel Clauder II was arrested during a traffic stop on U.S. 287 near Wichita Falls on February 22, 2016.
Clauder, 65, was stopped for driving on the shoulder. A check of the license plates on the minivan Clauder was driving showed they did not match the vehicle. The DPS trooper who stopped Clauder asked for consent to search the vehicle and Clauder declined.
The trooper called for a K-9 unit and the dog got a hit on the van, prompting a probable cause search. Troopers found seven duffel bags containing nearly 200 pounds of marijuana inside. The subsequent investigation revealed the marijuana was being transported from California to Florida.
Clauder was sentenced to a 10 years deferred. Clauder, from Orange County California, is a former Democratic Party activist who has campaigned to legalize marijuana in California since the early 1970’s.
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