A West Des Moines man was arrested Tuesday night after trying to prevent a search of his home by agents of the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement (MINE) drug task force.
James Christopher Miller Jr., 37, of 8610 E. P. True Parkway, West Des Moines, was charged with child endangerment, interference with official acts-bodily injury, two counts of person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons and third or subsequent offense possession of a controlled substance-marijuana.
The incident began about 9 p.m. Tuesday at a residence in the 8600 block of E. P. True Parkway, where officers of the West Des Moines Police Department assisted Polk County Deputy Sheriffs in the execution of a MINE drug task force search warrant.
According to court records, the law enforcement officers made contact with Miller, who opened the door of his residence and allegedly released a “heavy odor of marijuana” from within the dwelling.
During the interaction with Miller, one of the law enforcement officers put a “foot in the door” of the residence, and Miller allegedly grabbed the officer’s foot, “forcefully pulled it from the doorway and simultaneously pulled the door shut” while “he yelled, ‘Lock the door!’ to his child” who was inside the residence, according to court records.
The officer sustained a cut on his finger in the brief skirmish, according to court records.
The eventual search of the residence disclosed “approximately 27 grams” of marijuana and related paraphernalia. Two semi-automatic 9 millimeter handguns were also found, one of which was “loaded with nine rounds of ammunition in the magazine with one round of ammunition in the chamber,” according to court records.
The drugs and guns “would have been accessible to the 8-year-old victim,” according to court records.
Miller is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 21 in Dallas County District Court.
Miller was convicted of first-offense possession of a controlled substance in 2007 in Polk County District Court. He was convicted of two counts of second-offense possession of a controlled substance, possession of carrying of dangerous weapons while intoxicated and interference with officials acts in 2021 in Polk County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
