An accomplished classical musician from the Twin Cities was charged Tuesday with two misdemeanor counts in marijuana-friendly Oregon on allegations that he had more than 100 pounds of marijuana in his car, authorities said.
David R. Huckaby, 33, was nabbed Friday afternoon near Bly in south-central Oregon after being stopped for going 39 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone, state police there said.
The trooper searched Huckaby's car and found 113 pounds of marijuana in the trunk, police said. Authorities have valued the pot at roughly $226,000. Huckaby was charged in Klamath County Circuit Court with possessing more than 8 ounces of marijuana and unlawful delivery of marijuana, counts below the felony level.
Oregon is one of a few states that have legalized recreational use of marijuana. When legalization took effect there in late 2014, the change also wiped out nearly all felony counts for marijuana possession, regardless of amount, said District Attorney Rob Patridge. In filing no more than misdemeanor counts, "we were just abiding by what the Legislature tells us at this point," said Patridge, who chairs the state board that regulates marijuana in Oregon. "I've certainly gotten a lot of calls today about someone running around with 100 pounds of marijuana."
In court records filed with the charges, Huckaby was accused of presenting "several indicators of criminal activity" after police stopped him. A search followed, turning up the "high quality" marijuana.
Huckaby remained held Tuesday afternoon in the county jail in lieu of $15,000 bail. His attorney, Phil Studenberg, said if the arrest had been made in another state, his client could be looking at "a prison sentence, which is just wrong on every level."
Huckaby joined the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in late 2009, having graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City with a master's degree. He left the orchestra in 2013 and moved to Southern California, where he performed as recently as August in Los Angeles.
According to his SPCO online biography, Huckaby has performed live on National Public Radio's "From the Top" young artists' program, and toured in Italy and France with the North Carolina International Music Program Chamber Orchestra and in China as principal of the Juilliard Orchestra.
His criminal history includes a drunken-driving conviction in 2010 in Ramsey County.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
