Richard Ashley Parker II, 64, of Lake Forest, Busted in Indiana with Nearly $1 Million in Pot

​Approaching a green Chevrolet Z71 that had just been pulled over for unsafe lane movement on an Indiana toll road Monday night, a state trooper says he noticed a tarp inside the vehicle had shifted to expose what to his eyes appeared to be a bundle of marijuana. By the time the stop was over, 64-year-old driver Richard Ashley Parker II of Lake Forest had been placed under arrest on felony charges of distributing and possessing 200 pounds of ganja worth nearly $1 million, according to authorities in Steuben County, Ind.

Fort Wayne Wane.com has the scoop.

The Orange Countian was headed eastbound near the 147 mile marker of I-80 in Steuben County shortly before 11 p.m. Monday when Indiana State Trooper John Grant and Corporal Peter Bradley say he made an illegal lane change. Both troopers claim to have spotted the pot, asked Parker about it and been struck with suspicion over the driver's answers.

State police K-9 officer Nicholas Meade was contacted to walk his dog around the Chevy, and the canine indicated drugs were in the ride. The troopers then obtained a search warrant for the vehicle, in which they claim to have found several bundles of marijuana weighing more than 200 pounds and with a street value around $4,500 per pound--or more than $900,000.

Parker made his $25,000 bail pending an upcoming court date.

Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!