Lang
3/14/26
The Iowa State Patrol says a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic stop on Interstate 80 exposed himself to a trooper before being arrested for possession of drugs.
Arrest reports indicate a trooper pulled over a westbound 2024 Buick just after 4:15 Tuesday afternoon near the Rochester Avenue exit. The vehicle had no front license plate and dark, tinted windows. The officer reports smelling marijuana, and he asked the passengers to step out of the vehicle.
The front seat passenger, 30-year-old Darien Hardmon of Chicago, allegedly tried to take a backpack with him and became agitated. While another officer was on the way, Hardmon reportedly exposed himself to and kept arguing with the trooper who conducted the traffic stop.
Marijuana was eventually found inside the backpack, and a blunt was found in a cigarette box in the center console. Multiple bags for distribution were reportedly found behind where Hardmon had been sitting.
Hardmon is now charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance – 3rd or Subsequent Offense. If convicted, he faces up to two years in jail.