Father and son face drug charges after vehicle stop

• Zakary Eplin, 19, is charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon. His bond was set at $50,000 cash only.

Both Eplins and a third passenger were pulled over at 1:19 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway 68 north of Salem, according to the case’s probable cause reports. The report states Leonard Eplin was making erratic movements towards the crotch of his pants and all three vehicle occupants were removed from the car. The vehicle was searched upon a K-9 officer indicating the odor of narcotics was present. An ammunition magazine containing four rounds was subsequently found under the front driver’s seat.

Upon initiating a search of the car’s trunk, Zakary and Leonard Eplin claimed it was inaccessible because it couldn’t be physically opened; however, it was found to easily open. Inside, a Taurus PT840 .40-caliber pistol matching the ammunition magazine was discovered wrapped in a black bandana inside a bag.

Zakary Eplin first denied ownership of the firearm but later said it was his upon his father telling officers his son had legally purchased it. When asked if he had anything illegal on his person, Leonard Eplin is quoted in the report as saying no and affirming, “I swear on my dead father’s grave.” A total of 17 heroin capsules and one gram of meth were later discovered hidden on his body while he was being processed for incarceration into the Dent County Jail.

During a subsequent interview, Leonard Eplin told officers he purchased the drugs in Salem and the group was traveling to St. Louis so his son could sell the contraband, however, he later decided not to let the items be sold and they all drove home. He also claimed his son passed him the drugs to hide prior to being stopped and that his son also hid the gun in the trunk.

Zakary Eplin claimed during his interview that they’d gotten the drugs in Salem but denied he ever touched them. He also admitted to hiding the gun in the trunk.

The third passenger said Leonard Eplin displayed the gun in his waistband at the beginning of the trip and later carried it while he purchased heroin from someone on the streets of St. Louis. The passenger claimed the meth wasn’t from St. Louis. The passenger further said Zakary Eplin took possession of the drugs and gun upon his father using some heroin and then repeatedly dropping the firearm and drugs.

The third passenger said the vehicle was their property and they were letting it be borrowed for the trip as an act of friendship.