On Sunday, Feb. 20, officers from the Columbus Police Department were assisted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Saluda Police Department in a motor vehicle law checking station on the on-ramp to I-26 west and U.S. Highway 74 east in cooperation with the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program.

As a result of the checkpoint, Andrew Russell Page, 20, of Tryon was arrested and charged with the following:
• Felony possession of marijuana;
• Felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver marijuana;
• Felony maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances;
• Felony identity theft;
• Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia;
• Operating a vehicle with no operator’s license.
More than 1.5 pounds of marijuana, with a street value estimated at more than $8,500, was seized.
Russell was released on an $81,000 bond with a first court appearance set for Feb. 21, 2011.
One other motorist was cited for operating a vehicle with no operators license in the checkpoint on Feb. 20.
In other checkpoints hosted by the Columbus Police Department over the weekend of Feb. 18-20, three impaired drivers were arrested, three motorists were cited for operating a vehicle with no operator’s license, one motorist was cited for driving while license revoked and one was cited for possessing an opened container of an alcoholic beverage. Four people were cited on drug charges and six arrests were made.