DEADWOOD — A Sturgis man riding in a vehicle stopped by police on McGuigan Road in late December 2020 pleaded not guilty to meth distribution and other drug possession charges Tuesday before 4th Circuit Court Judge Eric Strawn at the Lawrence County Courthouse.
Nicholas William Main, 24, was indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury Jan. 13 and charged with: possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, methamphetamine, a Class 4 felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines; possession of a controlled drug or substance, methamphetamine, a Class 5 felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines; possession of a controlled drug or substance, hash oil, a Class 5 felony; and unauthorized ingestion of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, a Class 5 felony.
A co-defendant in the case, James Darol Will, Jr., 46, of Spearfish pleaded not guilty to the same charges before Strawn March 9.
Both men were additionally charged by information Jan. 11 with obstructing a law enforcement officer, a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and $2,000 in fines.
Court documents say on Dec. 27, 2020, at approximately 12:33 a.m. police observed a white Chevy SUV traveling southbound on McGuigan Road. A police records check showed the registered owner of the vehicle to have a suspended driver’s license.
As police followed the vehicle, it allegedly sped up and turned eastbound on Old Highway 14, then southbound on Valley Drive and traveled another distance before stopping.
When the vehicle stopped, three male subjects are reported to have immediately exited the vehicle and the male subject who exited the driver seat fled the scene on foot. Police lost sight of the driver, but the other two male subjects, Will and Main, complied.
During a pat down, multiple pieces of paraphernalia used for the distribution and ingestion of controlled substances were allegedly removed from Main’s person.
Police asked Main who the driver of the vehicle was and why the driver ran. Main told police he didn’t know who the driver was, but police observed the vehicle the men were in approximately 15 minutes before initiating the traffic stop in the parking lot of the Exit 8 Phillips 66 gas station, where Main was allegedly sitting in the rear passenger seat.
When police inventoried the vehicle, they allegedly located several bags containing multiple drug paraphernalia items, including: pipes, cutting instruments, clear plastic baggies, and cash money, along with a digital scale.
The inventory changed to a probable cause search. Two bags containing a white crystalline powder police believed to be methamphetamine were located, along with an amber waxy substance believed to be THC/marijuana wax.
Main was arrested and transported to the Spearfish Police Department, where he field-tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine, THC, and MDMA.
Lawrence County Chief Deputy Pat Johnson said Will is free on $10,000 cash or surety and Main is free on $2,500 cash or surety.
Main is due back in court Aug. 3.
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