Carson City sheriff's SET officers arrests pair on suspicion of selling heroin to informant

Two people were jailed Saturday on multiple felony drug charges after allegedly selling heroin to an informant, according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team.

Kevin Shaw, and Sarah J. Jones-Nicholson, both 35 and from Carson City, were arrested at 10:18 p.m. in the 3200 block of North Carson Street.

According to the arrest report, officers were approached by an informant who said they could buy 2 grams of heroin from Shaw for $200 while wearing audio surveillance. The informant met with a Carson City SET officer and was searched to prepare for the transaction. No drug paraphernalia or other illegal substances were discovered during the search, the arrest report states.

The informant was attached to audio surveillance so that law enforcement could monitor speech and receive signals and situation reports. The informant was instructed to have Shaw sell 2 grams of heroin in the area of a business in the 3200 block of North Carson Street for $200, which was provided to the informant by the SET officers. Photo copies were made of the cash that was to be used so that SET could identify the money when the suspect was apprehended, the arrest report states.

Officers were told Shaw would be driving either a burgundy Mazda sedan or a blue full-sized pickup. According to the informant, Shaw had purchased a large amount of heroin from another narcotics dealer in Reno and was returning to distribute in Carson City, the arrest report states.

The informant said they received a call from Shaw saying he was already at the meeting place. Sgt. Brian Humphrey was already on scene prior to the informant's arrival and watched as they exited the vehicle and began walking southbound toward the business.

SET officer Boggan moved into position just as the informant was getting into the rear passenger seat of a burgundy Mazda sedan that matched the description of one of the vehicles Shaw drove. The informant exited the vehicle and could be seen giving the visual signal that the narcotics transaction had taken place, the arrest report states. Boggan followed the informant in their vehicle to East Nye and North Carson StreeT where the officer collected 2 grams of heroin in plastic wrapping, the report states.

Sgt. Humphrey and the other deputies converged onto Shaw in his vehicle as it remained in the parking lot. Upon contact they identified a second subject in the vehicle, Nicholson-Jones, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Upon officer notifification over the radio of receiving the heroin from the informant, Shaw and Nicholson-Jones were placed into custody. A search incident to arrest recovered $200 that was verified to be the money supplied by the Special Enforcement Team to conduct the narcotics transaction, the report states.

During inventory of the vehicle a plastic baggie was seen protruding from underneath the driver side panel covering of the center console near the gas pedal. It was pulled out from underneath the paneling, revealing a baggie that contained six multi-colored balloons. Each balloon weighted around a gram for a total of around 6 grams. Combined with what was recovered from the informant, it equaled around 8 grams of heroin, according to the arrest report.

Nicholson-Jones was read her rights under Miranda and waived them. She said she was unaware of what had occured in the vehicle, however, her seating position in the vehicle meant the entire transaction whould have had to move past her since Shaw was in the front driver side of the vehicle and the informant was in the rear behind her while she held an optimimal position to see preparation for sale, money transference and narcotic transfer, the arrest report states.

The woman was run through a local record and warraant check that returned that she was on Alternative Sentencing. The agency was informed of the incident and they advised they wanted her arrested for violation of conditions. She was booked on felony charges of conspiracy to traffic drugs and sales of schedule 1 drugs, and a misdemeanor charge of violation of bail conditions. Bail: $33,000.

Shaw faces felony charges of conspiracy to traffic drugs, sales of schedule 1 narcotics and trafficking schedule 1 drugs between 4 to 14 grams. Bail was $50,000. He has since been released on bail.