2 locals arrested after drug busts

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — A woman who was driving her yellow GMC Suburban about 2:25 a.m., on Nov. 17, was followed by police officers who had staked out a residence in the North Hills area. Police then stopped her for a traffic violation, subsequently making a drug-related arrest, according to Cibola County Magistrate Court records.

Stephanie Ricketts, 37, of 616 Valencia, Milan, faces one felony charge of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.

Police had been observing the residence of Eric Barela, 46, 1801 North Hills Blvd., responding to two years of complaints by neighbors of “suspicious activity.”

Grants Police Lt. Corey Allen said police had been shorthanded for some time and did not have the officers available to watch the residence for a sustained period of time, but that changed recently with the department hiring more officers.

Ricketts was observed coming from Barela’s residence in North Hills so one of the officers, Jesse Nieto, followed her and noticed she was riding the white line at the right of the street.

Allen said state law requires drivers to operate their vehicle in the center of the lane, not on the white line, or on the center yellow line and to avoid weaving.

All these scenarios are probable cause for law enforcement officers to stop the driver because the driver may be under some kind of illegal influence, falling asleep or being distracted by adjusting a radio or dialing a cellular telephone, and present a possible danger to other drivers, he said.

No driver’s license
As Nieto stopped Ricketts, she did not have a driver’s license, only a New Mexico Identification Card, and told him the vehicle was not hers, but a friend’s, court records state.

He issued her citations for the violations and asked to search he vehicle, to which she said yes, court records state.

Nieto found three small, clear, plastic baggies, two of which contained a “clear glass looking substance,” which tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 0.6 grams. There was also a syringe under the seat cover on the driver’s seat, according to court records.

The vehicle was not seized for evidence because the drugs and syringe were not major enough to allow the vehicle to be seized, said Grants Police Detective Sgt. James Spidle.

“We photographed the items in the car to be used for evidence in court,” he said. “We only seize vehicles in major cases.”

Felony search warrant
Two days later at 5:30 p.m., Grants police conducted a felony search warrant at Barela’s residence, with nine officers and found methamphetamine, two digital scales, one regular scale and a large quantity of plastic baggies commonly used to sell drugs. Several of the baggies had prices written on them. Police also found a number of weapons, both handguns and rifles, and video surveillance equipment to observe the front entrance to the garage, court records state.

The weapons and surveillance equipment are not illegal and no charges were filed against Barela in connection with those items, Grants Police Detective Moses Marquez said.

Barela faces two sets of identical drug-related charges, because he was cited when leaving his residence, once on Nov. 17, about 2:30 a.m., and again as a result of the search warrant.

Charges, court dates
Those charges are: Two counts each of possession of a controlled substance, felonies; and possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanors.

Police also found $800 in cash on Barela prior to booking him into Cibola County Detention Center. He met a $20,000 bond set by Magistrate Court Presiding Judge Jackie Fisher and was released in less than 17 hours, said Lt. David Sisneros.

Barela has a preliminary hearing date set for Jan. 15, 2008, but the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to continue the case in order to present the Barela case to the grand jury.

Ricketts was booked into the detention center on Nov. 17 on a $15,000 unsecured bond but was then released on her own recognizance by Judge Manuel Lujan.

She also has a preliminary hearing in Magistrate Court on Jan. 15, 2008.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.