Informant helps Carson City sheriff’s SET officers bust two for meth trafficking and sales

Two men were arrested Friday on suspicion of felony meth trafficking and sales following a sting operation that involved an informant, according to a Carson City Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team officer.

Daniel Alan Martin, 35, and Steven Vincent, 27, both of Carson City, face multiple felony charges. Approximately 16 grams of methamphetamine was recovered in the operation that involved text messaging leading up to a drug transaction.

According the to arrest report, the informant contacted Carson City SET officers saying he could buy a quarter ounce of meth from Martin. Text messages were sent to Martin arranging for a deal and a meet up place. The informant was outfitted with surveillance equipment and given $280 in marked cash that was used in the transaction, which was near the corner of Menlo and Airport Road.

The transaction happened and the suspects were stopped at 10:12 p.m. in the area of Airport Road and Highway 50. SET officers conducted an inventory of the vehicle, locating two large baggies of meth on both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle.

There were 4 grams located on Martin’s side, and 5 grams on Vincent’s side. The weight of the meth purchased by the informant was 7 grams. The money from the transaction was seized as well as a one hundred dollar bill. Martin’s telephone was booked into evidence.

Martin faces the following felony charges; Trafficking 4-14 ounces, possession with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance, sales of a controlled substance and conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substance Act. Bail: $67,500. Vincent faces two felony charges, conspiracy to violation the Controlled Substance Act and trafficking 4 to 14 grams. $30,000.

In other arrests:

— A 52-year-old Carson City mans as arrested Friday, 5:21 p.m. in the 1700 block of North Carson Street on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and five misdemeanor charges. Officers located the man who had a warrant for his arrest. During a search they found marijuana, meth pipes with trace amounts of meth inside them. Bail: $8,618.

— A 44-year-old Carson City man was arrested Saturday, 1:03 a.m. in the area of William and Rand streets on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. Bail: $2,500.

— A 33-year-old Carson City man, Jonathan Richard Jeffers, was booked into Carson City Jail Friday on a felony warrant charge of being a fugitive from justice and a misdemeanor charge of violation of a suspended sentence. The felony charge was out of Calaveras County, Calif., and there is a no bail hold. The misdemeanor charge of violation of a suspended sentence was issued July 11, 2014 out of Carson City Justice Court. Bail: $3,000.

— A 26-year-old Carson City man, Steven Michael Truax Jr. was arrested Friday, 6:12 p.m. in the 600 block of North Carson Street. He faces a felony charge of attempting to sell stolen coins from a store he had stolen from previously and being in possession of stolen property. Bail: $5,774.

— A 28-year-old man, Michael Wayne Mitchell, was arrested July 18, 12:04 p.m. in the 4000 block of Pheasant Drive on suspicion of felony burglary. According to the arrest report, two witnesses observed Mitchell entering a residence and leaving with a trash can of stolen items inside, including a CD player.
He was found hiding near Moffat Park and Lepire Drive in Carson City by Sgt. Cullen and Deputy Wheeler. The owner of the residence confirmed the man was not allowed in the residence and had moved out some time ago. Bail: $20,000.

— A 32-year-old Florida man, John Warren Harris, was arrested Monday, 1:18 a.m. on a felony charge of being a fugitive from justice and four misdemeanor charges.
According to the arrest report, officers stopped the intoxicated man as he was stumbling across a street. While talking to a the man, Harris appeared and crossed using the left side of the crosswalk, was carrying an open container of Smirnoff Ice and appeared intoxicated, the arrest report states.

Officers instructed both men to provide identification and to sit down. Harris asked if he could smoke a cigarette. The officer said he could not. Harris told the officer “You can’t stop me from smoking a f****** cigarette” and reached into his pocket after being told twice not to.

Not knowing if the man had a weapon or not, an officer quickly detained Harris where he was handcuffed. A records check showed he had a fugitive from justice warrant out of Florida with a confirmed extradition. He was booked without bail on the felony warrant. He also faces misdemeanor charges of obstructing a peace officer, intoxicated pedestrian, open containing and failure to use the correct side of a crosswalk. Bail: $998.

— A 21-year-old Carson City man was arrested Monday, 3:09 a.m. in the 1200 block of Woodside Drive on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. The man allegedly attempted to pull the victim out of a car following an argument. The woman had injuries the right side of her face that were consistent with the story she told, according to the arrest report. Bail: $3,137.

— A 34-year-old Carson City man was arrested Monday, 3:24 a.m. in the 3200 bock of Market Street on a misdemeanor charge of making threats. According to the arrest report, the intoxicated man was allegedly waving a pocket knife around and threatening customers and employees at Walmart. Bail: $622.

— A 25-year-old Richmond, Calif., man, Luis Paniagua-Ponce, was arrested July 20, 3:39 a.m. at South Carson and Stewart streets on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and three misdemeanor charges: DUI first offense, fictitious registration and no proof of insurance.

According to the arrest report, the man was stopped for not having function brake lights. He agreed to standardized field sobriety tests and said he had drank a Sierra Nevada ale and a Long Island ice tea earlier. The man showed impairment of three out of the four tests. Officers found a small bindle of cocaine in the man left pocket of his shorts. Bail: $,731. A passenger who was with the man, Omar Daniel Rodriguez, 23, was arrested on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance, after officers found methamphetamine during a search. Also found was marijuana. He faces the felony drug charge and three misdemeanor charges: possession of marijuana, open container and not wearing a seat belt. Bail: $2,931.

— A Carson City jail inmate faces a gross misdemeanor charge of unlawful acts after allegedly throwing a cup of urine at a jail deputy Sunday at around 3:05 a.m. According to the arrest report, the man had threatened to throw the cup of urine if he couldn’t be moved to another cell. Bail: $2,500.

— A 23-year-old Carson City woman was arrested July 20, 8:39 a.m. in the 40 block of Granite Way on a failure to appear warrant. Bail: $215.

— A 22-year-old Carson City man was arrested Sunday, 2:46 a.m. at College Parkway and Granite Way on a misdemeanor charge of violation of a suspended sentence. Bail: $1,000.

— A 29-year-old Carson City man was arrested Sunday, 1:44 a.m. in the 500 block of North Division Street on a misdemeanor warrant for contempt of court, issued out of Carson City Justice Court May 28, 2014. Bail: $3,000.

— A 58-year-old Mountain View, Calif., man was arrested Saturday, 9:17 p.m. at North Carson Street and Winnie Lane on suspicion of DUI, not using required turn signals and failure to maintain a single lane. The man submitted a a preliminary breath test with a .192. Bail: $1,323.

— A 27-year-old Carson City man was arrested Saturday, 9:58 p.m. at Highway 50 near the Carson Freeway on a warrant, failure to appear on a traffic citation. Bail: $379.

Those arrest and facing charges are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.