Carson City deputies arrest three for felony child endangerment after having heroin in the presence of a baby
Carson City deputies arrested three individuals Thursday morning for drug charges and felony child endangerment after allegedly possessing heroin while in the presence of a 4-month-old baby, amidst other crimes.
According to the report, Ron James Ashland (30), Mark Duncan (40), and Mary Franklin (30) were arrested in the parking lot of a local casino-hotel after deputies were patrolling the parking lot and noticed a vehicle with a sun shade covering the front windshield with a passenger inside. Deputies ran the vehicle which returned as belonging to Ashland, who deputies are familiar with from previous drug history.
Deputies approached the vehicle and spotted two men in the front of the vehicle and a woman with a baby in her arms in the backseat. The woman, later identified as Franklin, was “manipulating her shirt as if she were breastfeeding the baby,” and deputies observed the baby to be fussy. Franklin stated she was feeding the baby. Deputies observed that Franklin was twitching, had jerky movements, exaggerated mannerisms, and was exhibiting bruxism, all signs of drug use, and that her “hair was in disarray covering her eyes and was very thin,” according to the report. Deputies also stated she was having a hard time holding the baby still.
Deputies asked Ashland to exit the vehicle, which he did willingly, and told deputies the people in the vehicle were “Mark Duncan” and “Kristen.” Deputies asked what they were doing and Ashland stated that he had picked up Mark and “Kristen” and they had parked so he could help them rent a room at the casino-hotel. In return for his help booking them a room he stated they were going to give him gas money.
Dispatch advised deputies that Duncan and Franklin both had extraditable warrants out of East Fork Justice Court.
While placing Duncan in handcuffs, Duncan stated he had a hypodermic needle on his person, which deputies retrieved and observed had a black substance inside of it.
Deputies asked Franklin to put the baby in the car seat and get out of the vehicle, where she was placed in handcuffs. Deputies asked when she had last used drugs and she stated she had used drugs an hour before. Deputies noticed fresh and old track marks on her arms.
Deputies asked how long she had been holding the baby and what she was doing. She said she had picked up the baby because she noticed the baby had a dirty diaper and she was going to feed the baby.
Deputies asked Ashland who the baby belonged to and he stated he was the father and the mother of the baby was in prison. Deputies asked Ashland why he had allowed Franklin to hold the baby knowing she was under the influence, and Ashland stated he had not realized she “was that bad,” according to the report.
Deputies told Ashland he didn’t even know her name since he told deputies it was Kristen, not Mary. Deputies placed Ashland under arrest.
At the jail, deputies asked Ashland when he had last used drugs. Ashland stated he had smoked heroin two days before at a friend’s house, and that he had left his baby with Ashland’s father. He acknowledged that the foil with traces of heroin under the driver’s seat were his. Deputies asked where the baby’s diaper bag and formula was, and Ashland said he hadn’t brought anything with him since he didn’t think he would be gone that long.
Deputies searched Ashland’s phone with his consent and found messages containing drug sale conversations, which gave probable cause to deputies to arrest Ashland for Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act.
Deputies removed the baby from the vehicle and waited for DCFS to arrive. The baby’s diaper was soiled and there was a baby bottle with a very small amount of baby formula inside of it nearby, as well as a small blanket.
Inside the vehicle deputies observed a large amount of aluminum foil with burn marks as well as black wallet on the seat with heroin and methamphetamine inside of it, along with two tooter straws, more burnt aluminum foil, a torn orange balloon, and a blue pill identified as Diazepam, a schedule 2 controlled substance.
Deputies also located a black jacket inside belonging to Duncan, which had a hypodermic needle and a small spoon with heroin on it inside the pocket.
The vehicle was also “extremely dirty,” according to the report, and deputies observed food, food wrappers, clothing, cigarette butts, and other miscellaneous trash inside of it. They did not observe a diaper bag or any baby necessities.
When DCFS arrived on scene they stated they would be requesting a drug test on the baby and took custody of the baby.
Bail for Ron James Ashland: 53,637
Bail for Mark Duncan: $54,277
No bail for Mary Franklin
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.