Man sleeping in Petrack Park restroom facing drug charge
A quick-thinking Petrack Park employee provided assistance to a Nye County Sheriff’s Office deputy in the apprehension of a man suspected of possessing a controlled substance on Saturday, Nov. 30.
As stated in a sheriff’s office arrest report, Deputy Alec Brian was dispatched to the park after the employee contacted NCSO dispatch upon finding a man, later identified as Joseph Barcena, sleeping in one of the park’s restrooms.
In plain sight
While cleaning the restroom, the employee also found a glass pipe and a bag containing a crystalline substance sitting on the toilet paper dispenser.
Upon arrival, Deputy Brian contacted the reporting party, who works for Nye County cleaning the park and restrooms twice a day.
The arrest report also stated that the employee took a photo of the baggie and glass pipe.
Shortly thereafter, Barcena, according to the report, woke up and entered the stall where the pipe and baggie were located.
“Joseph then left the bathroom and went south across the street,” Brian said in the report. “When I arrived, Joseph was still walking southbound.”
Contact made
While speaking with the employee, Brian continued to watch Barcena and eventually made contact with him.
At that point, Barcena admitted to having a pipe and a small baggie on his person.
“Upon searching Joseph, I located a glass pipe with burnt residue in the front pocket of his sweatshirt,” Brian’s report noted. “Additionally, I found a baggie with a white crystalline substance that I recognized as methamphetamine in the same pocket.”
Additional paraphernalia located
Also during the search, Brian located another glass pipe containing a white residue inside of Barcena shorts pocket.
The methamphetamine and the two glass pipes were later tested and were presumed positive for methamphetamine, which weighed 0.60 grams with packaging.
Barcena was then placed into custody and transported to the Nye County Detention Center for alleged possession of a controlled substance.
Bail was set at $3,000.
