Crime Corner

COPS: Four arrested in drug trafficking sting

Four people were taken into custody last week after police allegedly found trafficking levels of methamphetamine and heroin while serving search warrants at a home on Saddletree Road and a local hotel room.

According to a declaration of arrest in the case, at approximately 10:50 p.m. on Dec. 4 Nye County Sheriff’s detectives executed a search warrant at 5804 Saddletree Road.

When police entered the garage area of the home, they came into contact with a female by the name of Teriesa Adams, who allegedly told officers she and her boyfriend, Samuel Pringle, had been sleeping on the couch at the residence and that their belongings were in the garage.

While speaking with Adams an arrest report notes she appeared to be exhibiting signs of being under the influence of narcotics. When officers asked her when the last time she had used was, she allegedly replied that she had used heroin the day before.

Adams was then placed under arrest for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

As police continued their search of the residence, they reportedly found a pink box containing foil, plastic baggies, a pipe with suspected methamphetamine residue, a blue pipe with suspected marijuana residue and a knife.

Inside the home, which allegedly belongs to suspects Mary and Travis Windham, officers reported finding additional drug paraphernalia in the couple’s bedroom including baggies, pipes and scales. Additionally police said they discovered 5.11 grams of methamphetamine in the bedroom as well.

Police also noted there were several children living in the home between the ages of 3 months and 8 years old at the time of the investigation, and that some of the drug paraphernalia they found was allegedly within reach of the older children.

Mary too was then taken into custody on charges of trafficking a controlled substance, child endangerment, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, maintaining a place for sale/gift/use of controlled substance, conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substance Act and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Detectives turned their attention to a room at the Best Western hotel where they learned Travis and Pringle might be found.

Officers apparently learned that a man named Ricky, who they allege is an associate of Travis’, had rented the room under a fake name at the hotel and was possibly storing a handgun and a machine used to get credit card information inside.

Around 4:15 a.m. Dec. 5 officers reported seeing Travis and Pringle pull up outside the hotel room in a white car. They then applied for a second search warrant, which was granted and subsequently detained the two men while they searched the car and the hotel room.

When police searched Pringle’s person, they allegedly discovered methamphetamine, marijuana and a meth pipe in his pockets.

A search of Travis’ person reportedly turned up keys to the white vehicle they had arrived in.

When officers began to search the vehicle they allegedly found a switchblade knife in the passenger side door; a police ASP, or baton, on the rear, passenger side floorboard; a green container with what appeared to be heroin inside; a black backpack with four additional switchblade knives, a marijuana pipe, a picture of a Hispanic male on an envelope with the name Ricky on it and a cell phone.

When detectives weighed the suspected narcotics they found at the scene, they determined there was approximately 4.3 grams of heroin, 0.7 grams of methamphetamine and 4.8 grams of marijuana found during their search.

Travis and Pringle were then taken into custody on charges of trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia before being booked into the Nye County Detention Center on the charges.

COPS: Fight over jailhouse cornbread leads to charges

Two men incarcerated at the Nye County Detention Center were each booked on additional charges of battery by a prisoner last week after they allegedly got into a fight over a piece of cornbread.

According to police, around 10:30 a.m. Dec. 5 a detention deputy was called into the D-Pod of the facility by an inmate who stated another inmate had fallen and there was blood everywhere.

When the officer entered the area he reportedly saw a man named John Thomas lying on the ground near the shower.

Thomas reportedly had a puffy eye and abrasions to his left collarbone and face, which the deputy noted were not consistent with a fall.

When the officer went back to watch surveillance footage of the area during the time Thomas allegedly fell, he saw Thomas and another inmate by the name of Bryan Pack get into an altercation.

According to an arrest report, Thomas allegedly approached Pack in an aggressive manner and called him a “punk ass bitch.”

Police said Thomas then called Pack into a corner of the pod near the shower to fight. Once they two men were in the corner, Pack began punching Thomas in his head and body.

After Thomas was confronted about the fight, he allegedly told detention deputies that he had attacked Pack verbally because of an argument they were having over a piece of cornbread. He then allegedly further admitted to calling Pack into the corner of the pod to fight.

When officers talked to Pack about the incident, he allegedly confirmed what Thomas had already told them.

Thomas was subsequently taken to the local hospital for treatment before being rebooked into the jail on the additional charge of battery by a prisoner.

Pack denied medical treatment, but was also booked into the jail on an additional charge of battery by a prisoner for his role in the incident.

COPS: Man caught sipping and driving

One man was taken into custody by Nevada Highway Patrol last week after he was stopped for going nearly 30 mph over the posted speed limit on Hafen Ranch Road while he was allegedly intoxicated.

According to a declaration of arrest in the case, on Dec. 5 around 11 p.m. a trooper was traveling northbound on Hafen Ranch Road near Grain Mill when he observed a white Ford Ranger traveling at a high rate of speed.

The trooper activated his radar and found that the driver, later identified as Richard Hancock, was going 60 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The officer then stopped the vehicle and made contact with Hancock, whom he said smelled strongly of alcohol.

The trooper then asked Hancock if he had anything to drink that evening, to which Hancock allegedly replied he had two “red balls,” about 30 minutes prior to the traffic stop.

Hancock was then asked to submit to a series of field sobriety tests, which he allegedly failed. He was then placed under arrest for DUI.

While the trooper was retrieving some items from the vehicle for Hancock, an arrest report in the case notes he allegedly found two open liquor bottle sitting behind the passenger seat of the vehicle.

Hancock was then transported to the Nye County Detention Center to be booked into custody on charges of DUI, basic speed 21-30 over and open container.