Moscow man charged with six felonies

A Moscow man faces six felony charges and a sentencing enhancement charge that could mean up to life in prison if he is convicted.

Michael D. Leachman, 28, was arraigned in Nez Perce County Magistrate Court in Lewiston on Monday afternoon, where Judge Karin Seubert set a $5,000 bond in the case. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 2.

Leachman is charged with felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of methamphetamine and heroin, both felonies; and three felony counts of criminal possession of a financial transaction card. Leachman also was tagged with the persistent violator sentence enhancement that raises the possibility of life in prison if he is convicted on the charges.

He qualifies for the sentence enhancement because he previously was convicted of felony grand theft, in February 2014, and felony burglary, in December 2014, in Latah County.

Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lucas Martin pulled Leachman over for driving 54 mph in a 45 mph zone Saturday at 11:15 p.m. During the traffic stop, which revealed an expired registration, Martin said Leachman seemed nervous.

“I noticed his heart rate appeared to be up, and he appeared to be sweating,” Martin said, in court records.

Martin called for the county’s K-9 unit, which alerted for drugs in the vehicle. A subsequent search revealed two needles, a spoon, a small bag of crystal methamphetamine and two pieces of a black tar substance deputies believed to be heroin, according to court records. Debit and credit cards that matched two recently reported vehicle burglaries in Moscow also were found.

Moscow police advised that a .22 caliber Ruger pistol, which matched a .22 caliber magazine deputies found in the car, also had been stolen in the same area as the credit cards. Deputies found a .30-06 rifle in a plastic gun case in the trunk, court records said.

The maximum penalty in Idaho for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The maximum penalty for felony possession of a controlled substance is seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

The maximum penalty for criminal possession of a financial transaction card in Idaho is five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Wells may be contacted at mwells@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2275.