Carson City Sheriff's SET makes arrests for possession of fentanyl, meth with intent to sell
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 01/09/2023 - 11:23am
Two men were arrested late Saturday for suspicion of drug possession with intent to sell after fentanyl and methamphetamine were found during a vehicle search, according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team.
Zachary Isaiah Lee-Johnson, 26, and Joel Sanchez Arellano, 30, both of Reno, were taken into custody following an investigation. Both were also booked for suspicion of possession of stolen property and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the booking report, the Special Enforcement Team supervisor was patrolling North Carson Street and observed a black pickup without a rear license plate displayed.
The SET supervisor conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of North Carson Street and contacted the driver, Lee-Johnson and passenger, Arellano. Both said they did not have identification. The driver said he did not have a vehicle registration or insurance.
The officer noted several boxes piled in the back of the vehicle. Lee-Johnson stated he was in the process of moving. The officer noticed a marijuana bong with liquid in the cup holder and asked Lee-Johnson why it was ready to use. The man explained it was more convenient there. The man appeared abnormally nervous, his voice shaking and he stuttered as he explained the reason, the report states.
The officer ran both men for warrant and driver's license records. Dispatch returned that Lee-Johnson didn't have a valid license, and Arellano's was suspended. The SET sergeant requested back up and a tow service.
During inventory of the vehicle for tow, deputies located 2.2 grams of methamphetamine in a baggie, 0.7 grams of methamphetamine in a baggie, 8 M30 Fentanyl pills, smaller empty baggies behind the center console, a scale with methamphetamine residue to weigh narcotics, a blue pay/owe book in the center console, four glass methamphetamine pipes, two cell phones, a fake Nevada state driver's license in Lee-Johnson's wallet, A veteran's affairs card with another name on it in Lee-Johnson's wallet, a California license plate behind the driver's seat that returned stolen and a Century black safe in the back passenger seat.
Notably, Lee-Johnson's fake Nevada state driver's license with another person's name on it showed Lee-Johnson's face, the report states.
Upon further inventory, the vehicle contained unopened, high-value products, such as a Kicker car speaker, unopened personal accessories in Walmart bags, a Pioneer car radio, as well as a Playstation 5, tools, tubs and boxes of clothes, tubs of car parts and accessories and another safe that appeared to be empty.
Total bail amount listed for both men: $26,137.
In other arrests:
— A 60-year-old man was arrested early Sunday for felony possession of 21.2 grams of methamphetamine, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office booking report.
Paul Gregory McGuinness was taken into custody at 1:03 a.m. following an investigation. He was also booked for misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the booking report, deputies were dispatched to the 2100 block of East William Street for an investigative followup about narcotics located.
Video surveillance showed the suspect dropping a small bag with suspected methamphetamine onto the floor. The suspect didn't realize if fell and momentarily kicked it. Casino security provided a flash driving with the video that was booked into evidence.
Officers identified the man who dropped the bag. The man gave consent to search his hotel room, the report states. During the search deputies removed a small black toiletry bag from a tub and located a clear bag that had methamphetamine. Additional bags with meth and paraphernalia were located.
The report states that due to the fact the suspect was identified dropping the bag of meth on video, and that the man was the sole registered occupant of the room where additional methamphetamine and paraphernalia was found, McGuinness was booked for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $50,000.
— A 44-year-old Carson City man was arrested Saturday for suspicion of battery on a protected person, a gross misdemeanor offense. According to the booking report deputies were dispatched to a casino for a battery between a customer and security.
The suspect was contacted by deputies who stated a security guard punched him in the face and held him to the ground for no reason. Deputies spoke with the security guard who stated he was kicking the suspect out for being unruly and was asked to leave several times.
The security guard said the suspect got into his face twice and was warned not to do it again. He stated the suspect spit on him twice in the face. He stated he then he pushed him to the ground and held him down. The security guard wished to press charges, the report states.
A deputy reviewed security footage that showed the suspect get into the security guards face, touching nose-to-nose. It then appeared the suspect spit on the security guard before being brought to the ground. The suspect was arrested and booked for battery on a protected person. Bail: $2,637.
— An 18-year-old Carson City man was arrested early Monday for suspicion of gross misdemeanor destruction of property warrant. Bail: $1,500.
— A 20-year-old Gardnerville man was arrested Sunday for suspicion of minor consuming alcohol in public and a contempt of court warrant issued out of Douglas County. Bail: $1,129.
— A 40-year-old Carson City woman, Mandy Jo Armas, was arrested Jan. 6 for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the arrest report, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for having a driver's side headlamp out.
The officer made contact with the driver who was driving on a suspended license. A K-9 conducted a free air sniff of the vehicle that alerted positive to drugs in the vehicle. While searching the vehicle, deputies located a scale, a methamphetamine pipe with traceable amounts of methamphetamine, and a methamphetamine water bong with traceable amounts of methamphetamine inside the bowl piece. Bail: $3,637.
— A 25-year-old Carson City man was arrested Jan. 5 for suspicion of DUI and open container.
According to the booking report, a deputy made a traffic stop on a vehicle that nearly collided with a sheriff's office deputy as the deputy entered the intersection on a green light at North Carson Street and West William Street.
During the traffic stop, the officer could smell an odor of alcohol on the man's breath. During standardized field sobriety tests, the man showed signs of impairment. He provided a preliminary breath test of .175 and was arrested for suspicion of DUI. Inside the vehicle deputies located an open tall can of Twisted Team with approximately 4 ounces left in it. At jail the man provided evidentiary breath tests with results of .097 and .098. Bail: $1,329.
— A 40-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Jan. 7 for suspicion of DUI. According to the booking report, a deputy traveling south on South Stewart Street observed a vehicle in front of them with the driver-side taillight inoperable. Due to the fact that that it was night time, the officer initiated a traffic stop. The deputy spoke with the driver, who had an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from her person. She had red, watery eyes and slurred speech. She told the officer she had been drinking at a bar and consumed two drinks an hour prior, the report states.
She agreed to standardized field sobriety test and showed signs of impairment. She provided a preliminary breath test with a 1.58 result and was arrested for suspicion of DUI. At jail she provided evidentiary breath tests with results of .106 and .100. Bail: $1,137.
— A 24-year-old Sparks man was arrested Jan. 6, 10:48 p.m. for suspicion of DUI. According to the booking report a deputy was dispatched for a report of a hit and run. The deputy arrived and observed a male subject standing outside of the vehicle. The man explained he was driving too fast around the corner and hit ice in the roadway and slid into the mailboxes and flag pole. His vehicle was high centered on a large plant box and there were two damaged mail boxes.
As the deputy was speaking to the man, he could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person. The man also had watery eyes and slurred speech. The driver consented to standardized field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment. He provided a .243 preliminary breath test and was arrested for suspicion of DUI. At jail he provided two evidentiary breath samples, a.176 and .171. Bail: $1,137.
— A 57-year-old Carson City man was arrested Jan. 7 for suspicion of DUI. According to the booking report, a deputy made a traffic stop on a vehicle that did not have an operating right rear tail light.
The officer made contact with the driver and asked for his driver's license, registration and insurance. The man appeared confused on what he was looking for after the documents were requested, the report states.
While speaking with the driver, the officer could smell a strong of odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. The man consented to field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment on the tests. He provided a preliminary breath test of .142 and was arrested for suspicion of DUI. At jail he agreed to an evidentiary blood test. Bail: $1,137.
— An 18-year-old Carson City man was arrested Jan. 7 for a misdemeanor warrant alleging violation of a temporary protection order. Bail: $1,000.
— A 35-year-old Carson City man was arrested Sunday, Jan. 8, for suspicion of DUI. According to the booking report, a deputy observed a vehicle crossing over the number one and two lanes, going over the white dotted line in the area of Koontz Lane and Frontage Road.
The officer made a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, who stated he lost his wallet earlier in the day and could not provide a driver's license. The man was able to provide registration and insurance. He was asked if he had been drinking. The man replied he had a few shots earlier.
He consented to field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment on the tests. He provided a preliminary breath test of .093 and was arrested for suspicion of DUI. At jail he provided evidentiary breath tests of .074 and .66. Bail: $1,137.
— All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.
