Carson City woman jailed on drug sales and weapon charges
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Fri, 08/14/2015 - 10:13am
A Carson City woman was arrested Thursday on felony drug charges after deputies found guns and 77 grams of marijuana inside a North Edmonds residence, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said. Another 25 grams were recovered from an earlier traffic stop.
Stella Patricia Ann Maldanado, 38, turned herself into Carson City Jail deputies on multiple charges following a search warrant on Wednesday. According to the arrest report, deputies with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team were tipped off Aug. 12 from a reporting witness who said there was a strong odor of marijuana coming from an apartment on North Edmonds.
The witness also stated there were multiple people going and coming from the residence and stated they believed it was related to drug sales. Deputies made contact with Tri-NET drug task force who set up surveillance on the residence. During the operation, a vehicle was identified as having left the residence. The deputy located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop, leading to the recovery of 25 grams of marijuana.
A second vehicle was leaving the residence and a traffic stop was made. Officers found drug paraphernalia and learned the occupants of the vehicle, including Maldanado, were smoking marijuana in the vehicle.
An officer then spoke with the original reporting witness who wished to remain anonymous. The person advised they had spoke to Maldanado and she stated she had more marijuana in the residence as well as a handgun and rifle. The reporting witness said that inside the woman’s room was a safe with the marijuana.
An officer approached the front door of the apartment and noticed an odor of marijuana. The deputy knocked on the door and made contact with a man. When the door opened the odor became stronger. The man said that he stayed in the room in the back of the apartment. A deputy asked if he could come in and search his room. The man said he could and that he did not have anything in the room that he was worried about.
Officers applied for and received a search warrant at 9 p.m. During the search multiple items of contraband were located. In Maldanado’s room was a safe in the closet. Inside were several bags of marijuana totally 77 grams. In front of the safe was ammo for a SKS rifle and a .38 pistol. Also in the safe was $900 in currency. In the top shelf of the safe was a jackpot players card with the name of the woman on it. Inside the safe was a box of clear plastic sandwich bags, similar to the ones that the marijuana from the first car stop was packaged in, the arrest report states.
The rifle was located in northeast corner of the residence. In the south night stand was the loaded .38 Smith and Wesson revolver. Also in the night stand was an electronic vaporizer with marijuana residue and digital scale with marijuana residue. Also located was a small rubber container with marijuana wax and a marijuana pipe. All items were collected and booked into evidence.
On Thursday at 1:45 p.m. a SET officer was preparing to start his shift and received a call from dispatch advising that the woman was at the front counter and wanted to speak with a SET officer.
The deputy met with Maldanado and read her the Miranda warning and asked if she understood the warning. She stated she did. The officer asked Maldanado if she wanted to talk and she said she did not. She was taken into custody and booked on charges of maintaining a drug house, possession of a controlled substance for sales, possession of more than an ounce of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail has been set at $51,137.
