FAIRMONT — A Truman man is facing a felony charge in Martin County. Marc Elliot Wiederhoeft, 31, has been charged with drug possession in the fifth degree. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years of prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

At approximately 3:27 p.m. on January 5, 2021, a deputy with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office was on duty when he heard City of Fairmont police officers dispatched to a report of shoplifting at the Bomgaars store in Fairmont. Dispatch advised that the vehicle had pulled into the Hy-Vee gas station just north of Bomgaars. A short time later dispatch advised that someone had called and stated that the suspect vehicle was now in the Bowlmor parking lot.

The deputy drove towards that location and then was flagged down by two vehicles on the roadway. A female party advised the deputy that she was an employee at Bomgaars and had been following the vehicle in question, She pointed to the west parking lot of the apartments at 600 Burton Lane and indicated that the suspect vehicle was in that location.

The deputy pulled into the parking lot and observed a male party walking away from a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle. He was walking quickly towards the entrance to the complex and would not look in the deputy’s direction. The deputy rolled down his window and told the man to stop.

The man failed to stop until the deputy got out of his vehicle and ordered him to stop. The man, later identified as Wiederhoeft, stopped and came to the deputy’s location. The deputy observed that Wiederhoeft was acting nervous and constantly moving.

The deputy was concerned about a knife clipped to Wiederhoeft’s pocket and had him place his hand on the car. Wiederhoeft immediately began reaching for his pocket and the deputy told him not to grab it. Wiederhoeft again started reaching toward the knife and the deputy grabbed his arm and told him not to reach for it.

Wiederhoeft continued to exhibit extremely nervous behavior. He then told the officer that he had two knives in his right pocket and two in his left pocket. The deputy patted Wiederhoeft down and discovered a glass bottle containing approximately 0.97 grams of meth.

Wiederhoeft was placed under arrest. During a subsequent interview, Wiederhoeft admitted that the meth belonged to him.