Carson City Special Enforcement Team busts drug ring Thursday night

A 27-year-old Carson City woman and a 27-year-old Carson City man were arrested by the Carson City Special Enforcement Team in the 2800 block of Menlo Drive Thursday night on five felony charges for trafficking and selling meth and heroin.

Brittany Lynne Ward’s charges are: trafficking a level one controlled substance, meth; trafficking a level one controlled substance, heroin; possession of a controlled substance for sales; possession of a controlled substance, meth; possession of a controlled substance, heroin; possession of drug paraphernalia; and a contempt of court warrant out of Reno Justice Court.

Kyle Thomas Ostergaard’s charges are: trafficking a level one controlled substance, meth; trafficking a level one controlled substance, heroin; possession of a controlled substance for sales; possession of a controlled substance, meth; possession of a controlled substance, heroin; possession of drug paraphernalia; and a contempt of court warrant out of Reno Justice Court.

SET deputies had received information that Ward was selling heroin in Carson City and found that she had a warrant issued out of Reno for drug paraphernalia. They also received information that she was currently dating and living with Ostergaard, who deputies knew from previous contacts, and knew his car.

In the parking lot of the complex where Ostergaard and Ward were living, deputies located Ostergaard’s vehicle and looked into the vehicle from outside the vehicle.

In the back seat was a backpack with a hypodermic device inside; the front pocket of the backpack was unzipped, allowing deputies to see inside, according to the report. In the passenger door handle was also tin foil, which is used in heroin consumption.

They went to the apartment to speak with Ward. A family member answered the door and deputies asked if Ward was there and there was a warrant issued for her arrest. The family member said she was home, and deputies noted they saw Ward crouched down behind the kitchen counter.

Deputies asked Ward if Ostergaard was inside, and “she was concerned as to why they were asking,” according to the report.

While Ward and the family member discussed her warrant, deputies saw three to four puffs of smoke emerge from inside the apartment. At the same time, deputies smelled a strong odor of burning vinegar, which they recognized as burning heroin coming from inside the apartment.

Both the family member and Ward said it was cigarette smoke, though neither one of them was smoking.

Ostergaard opened the blinds briefly to look at the deputies, before quickly closing them and went back to the bedroom. Deputies believed at that time that Ostergaard was either smoking or destroying heroin inside the bedroom. They entered the apartment to secure it and detain Ostergaard.

Deputies moved to the bedroom door while the family member yelled at them. Deputies opened the bedroom door and saw Ostergaard with his hand in his pocket and smoke floating in the air. He was holding a black object in his hand, which deputies later identified as an e-cigarette.

Deputies put Ostergaard at gunpoint and ordered him to exit the room. He complied and was detained by another deputy.

Deputies searched the rest of the apartment for other people and secured everyone in the living room, as it was below freezing outside, in order to apply for a search warrant.

The warrant was approved and a search of the apartment was conducted.

This is what was located, according to the report:

West bedroom; Grey safe near the west nightstand:

— 12 Suboxone sublingual films, without a prescription
— $1,000 US cash in box
— Several baggies with labels, containing methamphetamine and heroin

Rest of West bedroom:

— Multiple baggies of methamphetamine
— Multiple baggies of heroin
— $1,010 US cash in a blue wallet on the bed, with ID information for Brittany Ward (which was located proximate to a scale with heroin residue, several baggies of heroin, a pay and owe sheet, and drug paraphernalia)
— Cell phone in green case, believed to belong to Ostergaard
— Scale with heroin reside
— Pay and owe sheet, with names and dollar amounts
— Assorted drug paraphernalia to include tooter straw and pipes

The weight of the drugs located in the west bedroom were 10.4 grams of heroin and 8.8 grams of methamphetamine.

East Bedroom, belonging to family members:

— Black purse, which the family member admitted to possession of, containing several small baggies of small amounts of methamphetamine and several methamphetamine pipes.
— Table on east wall, with an ID with second family member’s name on it on the lamp table nearby had two methamphetamine pipes and 1.4 grams of cocaine.

Ostergaard and Ward were searched. Several baggies with small amounts of methamphetamine and a hypodermic device were located in Ostergaard’s pants pocket. Ward was in possession of a black cell phone and $196 US cash. Ostergaard also was in possession of the keys to the car located in the parking lot.

Ward agreed to speak with deputies. She admitted to possession of drugs for personal use, but denied selling drugs. She claimed she had obtained the money from the holiday season and under the table jobs. She is not otherwise employed, according to the report. The currency was in mixed denominations, concurrent with drug sales. She refused consent to search her cell phone.

The family member admitted to possession of the purse and the collection of methamphetamine baggies and pipes in her purse, but that they were the result of Ward and another family member that she collected whenever they would leave that bedroom. She said she was not using drugs. She said she knew they were illegal. She then started complaining of chest pain and is on numerous medications. Deputies asked who she shares the room with, and she said her boyfriend, who she has been dating for about 35 years.

The boyfriend was present at the apartment when deputies first arrived, returning from walking his dog, the report said. However, once he saw Ward in custody, he left the area and did not return.

In Ostergaard’s car they located foil in the passenger door handle, foil under the passenger seat, and a loaded hypodermic device in a hidden compartment in the transmission area near the front of the vehicle. The syringe was loaded with suspected heroin.

Ostergaard and Ward were arrested and transported to the jail.

Bail for Ward: No bail due to Reno warrant.

Bail for Ostergaard: No bail due to Reno warrant.

In other arrests:

— A 27-year-old Carson City man was arrested in the area of Telegraph and Plaza early Friday morning for DUI 1st after driving the wrong way on a one way street.

According to the arrest report, deputies were patrolling when they saw a tan colored sedan going east on Telegraph Street west of Carson Street, which is marked one way for west bound traffic only.

The vehicle then continued east on Telegraph Street and turned south onto Plaza street, which is marked one way for north bound traffic.

Deputies stopped the vehicle just south of Telegraph. Deputies noted the man had a moderate odor of alcohol on his breath as he talked and his eyes were red and watery, along with slurred speech.

He failed a series of field sobriety tests, and blew a preliminary breath test of over .08 percent.

At the jail, his alcohol level was tested resulting in .209 percent and .214 percent.

Bail: $1,269.

Warrants:

— A 32-year-old Carson City man was arrested early Friday morning for a Dayton Township Justice Court warrant for failing to appear after posting bail.

Bail: $500 cash only.

—A 26-year-old Carson City man was taken into custody for a warrant for his arrest after violating his suspended sentence after being discharged from substance abuse counseling. It appears the man turned himself in.

Bail: $3,000 cash only.

— A 36-year-old Virginia City woman was transported from Douglas County to Carson City on a contempt of court warrant for failing to appear in court in November. She was transported after completing her Douglas County charges on Dec. 24.

Bail: $3,000 cash only.

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.