Oregon authorities have dismissed marijuana possession charges against a onetime St. Paul Chamber Orchestra cellist, six months after he was stopped with more than 100 pounds of marijuana in his car.

David R. Huckaby, 33, was stopped for speeding last February near Bly in south-central Oregon. A trooper searched his car and found 113 pounds of high-quality marijuana in the trunk. Authorities valued the pot about $226,000. He was charged with possessing more than 8 ounces of marijuana and unlawful delivery of marijuana. Both charges are misdemeanors in Oregon, one of a few states that have legalized recreational marijuana use.

This week charges were dropped by the Klamath County Oregon Circuit Court after a judge granted a motion to suppress the marijuana as evidence against Huckaby, ruling that there was no probable cause to search his vehicle, said his attorney, Phil Studenberg. The arresting officer citied a number of reasons for the search, but the judge ruled that none were sufficient. Court records filed with the charges said Huckaby allegedly presented "several indicators of criminal activity" after police stopped him. The Oregon Attorney General did not appeal the ruling.

"David's case is a perfect example of what is wrong with the War on Drugs," Studenberg said. "It ruins the lives of talented young people and stigmatizes them for life. I'm just glad we prevailed in David's case and he can carry on with his career."

Huckaby joined the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in late 2009, having graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City with a master's degree. He left the orchestra in 2013 and moved to Southern California, where he performed as recently as August in Los Angeles. According to his SPCO online biography, Huckaby has performed live on National Public Radio's "From the Top" young artists' program, and toured in Italy and France with the North Carolina International Music Program Chamber Orchestra and in China as principal of the Juilliard Orchestra.

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