A man has gone up in smoke for possessing 1.5 pounds of marijuana while a separate undercover buy hashed out by authorities planted another marijuana-related charge on him. 

Billy Wayne McGinness, 38, has been sentenced to serve 180 days in Warren County Jail after being charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and second offense driving on a restricted driver’s license.

A charge of delivery of marijuana occurred after officers led a controlled buy operation, resulting in McGinness being taken into custody on an E Felony.

The other charges came when K-9 deputy Jared Jacobs observed McGinness traveling westbound on Highway 70 in Rock Island on Oct. 23, 2019. Jacobs had prior knowledge McGinness had a revoked driver’s license and a traffic stop was performed.

Upon stopping McGinness, the arrest warrant claims Jacobs noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. McGinness told Jacobs there was approximately one pound of marijuana in the floorboard. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 1.5 pounds of marijuana in six bags. 

During Circuit Court on Wednesday, McGinness was sentenced to 180 days to be served in the Warren County Jail as a Range 2 offender with the balance of his two-year sentence being served on supervised probation.

McGinness also received 10 days to serve for his second offense driving on a revoked driver’s license with the remaining 11 months, 29 days to be spent on probation. The charges, along with another case against McGinness in Rutherford County, will run concurrently, or at the same time, as each other.

McGinness bypassed his indictment, waived his right to have the cases taken to the grand jury and appeared in Circuit Court on Wednesday where the state and defendant came to an agreement on the sentence. McGinness reported to jail March 6.