Was Eric Jarrin So Stoned He Forgot He Was in a State Where Pot's Illegal?

After some but not all of Eric Jarrin's marijuana was stolen, the Colorado resident reported what had happened. But because the crime took place in Wyoming, which has some of the strongest anti-cannabis laws in the country, the police officers who responded didn't bother going after the thief. Instead, they promptly arrested Jarrin and fellow Colorado pal Christopher Rathe, whose actions raise an important question: Were the pair too stoned to remember they were in a state where pot is illegal?

Feel free to speculate about the answer while musing on the following tale, which has earned Jarrin a coveted Schmuck of the Week nod.

Around 2 p.m. on May 9, according to an arrest report obtained by the Casper Star-Tribune, members of the Casper Police Department were dispatched to a local Motel 6. They'd been called there by a manager at the business, who revealed that a customer had complained about marijuana missing from his room.

The patron was Jarrin. "I made the report," the affidavit quotes him as telling the officers. "It was my weed that was stolen."

At that point, Jarrin provided two forms of identification: his Colorado driver's license and a state medical marijuana card.

According to the affidavit, Jarrin wasn't blindsided by the cops' arrival. After telling the person at the front desk about his missing ganja, he's said to have lingered outside his room in order to share his sad story with the officers assigned to investigate the case.

On top of that, Jarrin revealed that while his "plant-form weed" was gone, he still had some dabs, as well as a glass pipe and a lighter — all of which he showed to the officers.

Who were probably having a hard time keeping a straight face by then.

Shockingly enough, the cops' next move was to bust Jarrin for marijuana possession. Meanwhile, Rathe, a Facebook friend of Jarrin's, strolled past, allegedly trailing the scent of marijuana in his wake. He soon revealed that he'd been outside smoking marijuana, since he couldn't do it in his room — and when the officers asked him how much cannabis he had, the affidavit quotes him as saying, "Not a lot. I can get it for you."

Rathe then led the cops to his room and showed off his small stash — about 2.86 grams' worth. But in Wyoming, that was more than enough to get him arrested for marijuana possession, too.

How hot is the water in which Jarrin and Rathe find themselves? In Wyoming, as we reported in a post about pot laws in states that border Colorado, even being under the influence of marijuana is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $750 fine. A conviction for possessing three ounces or less of pot could net a year behind bars and a $1,000 fine. And being found guilty of possessing more than three ounces can lead to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Which is another way of saying that Jarrin would have been a lot better off dabbing away the frustration of having his marijuana stolen instead of expecting police in Wyoming to sympathize. Here's his mug shot, followed by Rathe's.