Police: Barrington man had marijuana that looked like candy

A Barrington man is accused of possessing about 11 pounds of edible marijuana that resembled candy, authorities said.

Tyler A. Howard, 22, of the 600 block of Haven Drive, is free on bail after being charged with possession with the intent to deliver over 5,000 grams of cannabis and driving under the influence. Authorities said an initial marijuana charge against Howard was upgraded Wednesday.

One form of the edible marijuana was a tan, waxy substance similar to a fruit roll-up, Barrington Assistant Police Chief John Burke said Friday. He said the other edibles had an appearance of square jelly candies in flavors of strawberry, lime and one "just called blue."

Burke said the edibles appeared to have been homemade, meaning anyone consuming them would not know how much marijuana they were getting or the THC levels. He said that's the danger of such edible marijuana.

"Somebody could look at this and really think it's harmless candy or it won't do much to them," he said.

Burke said an officer on patrol about 4 a.m. April 6 became suspicious after seeing Howard in a running car with its lights on in a commercial parking lot on the 400 block of West Main Street. Howard was awakened by the officer and later arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Burke said.

Police said investigators searched Howard's vehicle and found what laboratory tests confirmed as just over 11 pounds of edible marijuana. Authorities said a Cook County grand jury indicted Howard on the upgraded marijuana charge as a result of the lab results.

Police said a vacuum sealer and packaging materials were among the other items confiscated from Howard's car.