Two men are facing charges after Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputies found guns and drugs during a traffic stop on Wednesday. The sheriff’s office says just before 10:00 a.m. members of the Lancaster County Criminal Interdiction Unit stopped a motorhome on I-80 near mile marker 391 for driving on the shoulder.
During that traffic stop, a drug detection dog was deployed around the outside of the vehicle. The sheriff’s department says the K-9 detected an odor of narcotics, which led to a search of the vehicle. The fuel tank showed signs of having been tampered with. An examination of the inside of the tank revealed 60-1 lb. vacuum sealed bags of methamphetamine, 2.16 pounds of heroin, and .58 pounds of Fentanyl.
A more in-depth search of the vehicle turned up a 9mm pistol reported stolen in Minnesota in January 2022, a .22 caliber revolver and a Taurus .380 caliber pistol.
Both the driver, 60 year old John Kirchner of St, Paul, MN, and the passenger, 30 year old Wesley Stayberg of Hudson, WI are both convicted felons and prohibited from possessing firearms. The sheriff’s office says Stayberg began feeling ill during the stop and admitted to consuming one gram of heroin that he had on him. He began to lose consciousness and was administered NARCAN and transported to the hospital. After treatment he was transported to jail.
The street value of the narcotics is $1,632,931 for the Meth, $148,923 for the Heroin and $36,831 for the Fentayl. Both men were booked for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver meth, heroin, fentanyl, possession of a firearm while committing a felony drug violation, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and three counts of evading drug tax.
Stayberg was also charged with tampering with evidence.
John Kirchner Wesley Stayberg