JOHNSON COUNTY — A 56-year-old man was arrested while transporting a passenger as an Uber driver after police say he was driving erratically and under the influence of drugs.
The Johnson County Prosecutor has filed formal charges for possession of methamphetamine, posession of drug paraphernalia and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated against Mark Allen Atchison.
Atchison was arrested on November 11 after police pulled him over for unsafe driving. According to court documents filed against Atchison, officers immediately noted the smell of marijuana from inside his vehicle during the stop.
During the course of the investigation, Atchison allegedly admitted to officers that he had been smoking marijuana and methamphetamine in the hours before he took on a passenger. The female passenger was inside the vehicle when Atchison was stopped.
“The purpose of ride sharing is to avoid this exact scenario. I take a dim view of when someone is being responsible and doing the right thing and then endangered by someone else’s actions,” said Prosecutor Joe Villanueva.
Atchison faces up to two and a half years and a fine up to $10,000.
The incident remains under investigation.
