Stateline traffic stop nets pair of drug arrests
Provided
STATELINE, Nev. — A routine traffic stop resulted in the arrest of two people and the seizure of methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and psilocybin mushrooms on Monday.
Lance Cody Hunsaker, 33, and Jillian Paige Truesdell, 28, were arrested on Monday afternoon, Jan. 30, in Stateline.
According to the Sheriff’s Report, a deputy reported spotting a Ford Expedition with an expired registration. He conducted a traffic stop as the Expedition was turning into the Bally’s Casino parking lot.
Hunsaker told the deputy he’d just purchased the vehicle and took the plates off his other vehicle and put them on the Expedition.
Both the vehicle’s and Hunsaker’s drivers license were expired, and he didn’t have any proof he owned it, so the deputy prepared to impound it and ticket Hunsaker.
While inventorying the vehicle, deputies reported finding a gray cloth bag with a clear baggie inside, along with a hypodermic under the passenger seat.
Hunsaker was detained after denying any knowledge of the drugs. Truesdell, who had been released, was also taken into custody.
Upon further examination, deputies weighed 29.89 grams of methamphetamine, 16.83 grams of fentanyl, 6.37 grams of mushrooms and .48 grams of heroin. There was also $2,079 in cash and two digital scales.
Hunsaker is scheduled to appear in Tahoe Township Justice Court next week.
Truesdell served a 12-30-month prison sentence for possession of a controlled substance and was paroled Jan. 7, 2021.
According to Nevada Department of Corrections records, Hunsaker has three felony convictions for burglary and one for attempted possession of a stolen vehicle and was last paroled in March 2021.
• A woman facing multiple felonies in an Oct. 21, 2022, fentanyl bust that sent five deputies to the hospital, is scheduled to appear for a hearing in Tahoe Township Justice Court on Feb. 16.
Proceedings in the case against Jessica Thomas, 32, have been delayed several times as she awaits a preliminary hearing.
Regina K. Rojas, 35, is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday on several felonies connected to the arrest. She faces as much as 80 years in prison after she admitted the charges. However, her attorney was sick last week, and so her sentencing might be delayed.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.
