Carthage man to stand trial on drug charges
May 11—A judge ordered a 30-year-old Carthage man to stand trial on drug and weapon charges when he waived a preliminary hearing last week in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Johnny Lopez waived the hearing Thursday on charges of delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a weapon. Judge Joe Hensley set June 2 for the defendant's initial appearance in a trial division of the court.
The charges stem from an arrest June 28 in Carthage after an officer contacted Lopez following a report of a trespassing case in progress. Information obtained by police that Lopez had a gun in his backpack led to a search of the area where he was stopped and the seizing of an eyeglasses case with bags containing 22 grams of methamphetamine and a backpack with a revolver in it, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
