Camping couple arrested on drug trafficking charges
By TOM GIAMBRONILISBON - A California couple was arrested Monday night on drug trafficking charges at an Elkrun Township campground after fellow campers called police about marijuana being smoked.
Charged with felony drug trafficking are James Valdez, 44, and Michelle Smith, 31, both of Placerville, Calif., who appeared Tuesday in Columbiana County Municipal Court. They currently are being held in the county jail on $100,000 bond, with a preliminary court hearing scheduled for May 21.
Valdez and Smith were at Lock 30 Campground off Middle Beaver Road on Monday evening when fellow campers smelled marijuana and witnessed marijuana being smoked, prompting them to call police at 11:23 p.m.
St. Clair Township Police Officer Troy Walker, who is also an agent with the county Drug Task Force, responded and was met by Valdez, who gave him permission to have someone search his 1998 Nomad travel trailer. An agent from the local U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency arrived with Dino, a drug-sniffing dog, to conduct the search.
The dog hit on a safe that Valdez said he uses to store his marijuana when at home. The dog also hit on several other areas in the travel trailer.
According to the DEA, the search resulted in the seizure of more than two kilograms of marijuana, a semi-automatic handgun, a large amount of cash, drug packaging material, drug ledgers, a digital scale and drug paraphernalia. The two also had several motor vehicles in their possession.
Assisting in the bust, besides St. Clair Township, were officers from the county sheriff's office, the county Drug Task Force, the East Liverpool Police Department and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
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Placervilledotcom
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05-14-09 7:14 PM
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There is much more to this story. This person ran the Placerville dispensary that supplies marijuana to people that need help with pain. They were shut down last year by the local government and I think this is a continuation of their public lashings. Why would 5 agencies be called for one camp site smoker? if you look here you can see that the officials must have known about them well before hand. ****cityofplacerville****/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=4179
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Schvenzlerman
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05-13-09 2:01 PM
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Was the couple observed selling? Is owning a digital scale illegal? Was it a bathroom type? Was the handgun legally owned? Was it illegal to have it at the campground? What was the amount of the cash? is it illegal to possess that much? What was the "packaging material?" Something that people might possess for ordinary use? Were the vehicles legally owned and registered? How were the "drug ledgers" established as such? Why did the couple consent to a search?Do they have any prior convictions of any nature? Why were officers from FIVE law enforcement agencies dispatched to address a complaint that someone was smoking marijuana? Is that much manpower considered an effective use of taxpayer funds? Maybe the couple planned to sell some of their 2 kilos (about 4 lbs). Maybe they just like smoking a lot. This story is an example of really poor journalism. Was this written by a high school graduate or someone with a degree in journalism? Is there a difference?
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Alan9074
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05-13-09 8:23 AM
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Well done comrade!!!!! It's a good thing the police were called when people were minding their own business, not creating disruptive behavior, and not hurting anyone else! Please remember comrade, Mother Russia, errrr, oops, I mean Amerika also needs to know if you see any capitalists. Capitalists are poisoning our culture, and destroying our youth as well. Please call big brother if you see any capitalists as well. We will "help" them after they've been re-educated. Thank you once again comrade for making Amerika a better place to live!!!!
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