By Joe Bachman

MARSHFIELD — A Hewitt man is facing charges of possession of MDMA and THC with intent to sell after crashing his vehicle into a utility pole.

According to police reports, on May 5 authorities responded to an accident in the area of 21st Street and South Maple Avenue in Marshfield. A caller informed police that a vehicle struck a utility pole and was in the middle of the intersection.

Once they arrived, officers found two men unsuccessfully attempting to push a Chevrolet Blazer with front-end damage off the road. Police identified the driver as 19-year-old Evan Kortuem. According to Kortuem, he was driving too fast and failed to see the stop sign at the intersection at the top of the hill, which led him to drive into the pole.

Kortuem informed police that he had about “six beers” before driving.

A K-9 unit was soon brought out to do a perimeter sniff of the vehicle, which indicated positive of the presence of drugs in the Blazer. A police-conducted search turned up a bag containing a scale with white residue on it, 37.5 grams of marijuana, and a plastic baggie containing nine white capsules, later identified as the psychoactive drug MDMA.

Kortuem allegedly told police that all of the items were his but that he used the scale to package marijuana for himself and that he gave MDMA to his friends. Court records indicate Kortuem has multiple prior convictions of THC possession in Wood and Oneida Counties.

If convicted, Kortuem faces up to 43 years and six months imprisonment for a class D felony of selling designer drugs as well as up to $110,000 in fines. His initial court appearance is scheduled for May 22. Kortuem is currently out on a $2,500 bail.