Moffat County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Craig man for allegedly possessing over 24 grams of methamphetamine and firearms as a convicted felon on Dec. 23, according to the arrest affidavit.

Larry Norman, 46, is charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, a Class 2 drug felony, and possession of a controlled substance as a special offender, a Class 1 drug felony.

Norman is also charged with possession of a weapon as a previous offender, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of violating a protection order.

At around 7:52 p.m. on Dec. 23, a Moffat County sheriff’s deputy was in a patrol car near Rose Street and Victory Way when he saw a pickup truck leaving the Trav-O-Tel Motel with expired license plate tags, according to the affidavit.

The deputy initiated a traffic stop on the 300 Block of Rose Street, and “requested a cover car to respond,” the document states.

The document adds that the deputy recognized Norman, who was sitting in the passenger seat, from “previous drug-related law enforcement contacts.”

The driver told law enforcement that he had expired insurance, then said that a firearm was on the dashboard. The deputy took the firearm, which was a loaded Glock 43X with 10 total rounds in the gun and magazine, according to the affidavit.

Another deputy then took over the traffic stop while a K-9, referred to as Prime, sniffed around the vehicle on the passenger side. Prime later indicated a positive alert for drugs in the vehicle.

Law enforcement found a small jeweler’s bag containing a “white crystalline rock, the size of a nickel,” in the driver’s pants pocket. The driver then confirmed the substance was meth, according to the document.

While searching Norman, law enforcement found a “small black flashlight-type handle” with two “large suspected methamphetamine rocks inside,” as well as a “large gum pack” that contained five jeweler’s bags with “medium amounts of cler, white crystalline substances,” states the affidavit.

One of the deputies suspected each jeweler’s bag to contain about three to four grams of meth, which are commonly referred to as “8-balls,” the document continues.

When the deputy found the second container, Norman said “That’s going to be a problem, and that’s not going to be good for me,” according to the affidavit.

Inside the vehicle, law enforcement found a .38 revolver pistol, loaded with six rounds.

Deputies asked the driver if Norman had sold him the drugs found in his pocket, to which he said “no and that he was not willing to tell (law enforcement) where he bought the drugs,” the document states.

The evidence later tested positive for meth and weighed a total of 24.22 grams.

The affidavit adds that Norman is a convicted felon for a felony burglary charge in Kansas in 1997. Two valid protection orders prohibit Norman from possessing any controlled substances or firearms.

On Dec. 24, sheriff’s deputies and Craig police officers searched a unit at the Trav-O-Tel, where Norman lived. During the search, officers found a small scale, “numerous” jeweler’s bags, and “multiple” glass smoking pipes. A “small amount” of meth was also found, along with a .22 caliber pistol on the bed, according to the document.

Norman was released from the Moffat County Jail on Dec. 26 after posting a $25,000 surety bond, according to the Moffat County Combined Courts clerk’s office.

Editor’s note: Every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent unless and until their guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.