A Tuesday morning traffic stop on U.S. Interstate 80 in southern Dallas County led to the arrest on drug and weapons charges of five Coloradans.
At about 8:15 a.m., an Iowa State Patrol trooper “stopped for a traffic violation” a 2011 Buick Enclave as it traveled westbound at the 115 mile marker of near Van Meter.
According to court records, the trooper “observed a marijuana wax scraping tool in plain view in the center console next to” the driver, Tanya Lea Romero, 33, of Colorado Springs, Colo. Romero “admitted the front seat passenger was in possession of marijuana wax.”
The front seat passenger was Romero’s fiance, Chaz Dominique Jones-Brown Sr., 30, of Colorado Springs. In the back seat were three passengers: Johnathan Terrel Felder, 44, Jennifer Ann Stitt, 43, and Martell Devon Waters, 25, all of Colorado Springs.
A narcotics K9 was summoned and “deployed on the vehicle,” according to court records. The dog “gave a positive indication to the vehicle,” which was searched, and a marijuana wax container and eight grams of “raw marijuana” were found in the center console.
Further search of the SUV uncovered a “black box with two bundles of cocaine” in “a cooler that was positioned on the floor in the middle of the vehicle.” According to the records, the occupants said “they were all drinking from the cooler but didn’t know who owned all of the cocaine.”
In the glovebox, the trooper found two loaded semiautomatic handguns. Jones-Brown said one of the guns was his and the other was Felder’s. Two more pistols were found “on the far back passenger floor.” Waters “admitted to owning both handguns.”
None of the travelers possessed a permit to carry weapons.
Romero was charged with first-offense possession of a controlled substance-marijuana and first-offense possession of a controlled substance-cocaine. He was booked into the Dallas County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond. Romero is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 26.
Jones-Brown was charged with carrying weapons, carrying weapons-knife over five inches, first-offense possession of a controlled substance-marijuana and first-offense possession of a controlled substance-cocaine. He was booked into the Dallas County Jail and released after posting $8,000 bond. Jones-Brown is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 26.
Felder was charged with first-offense possession of a controlled substance-cocaine and felon in possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Dallas County Jail and released after posting $6,000 bond. Felder is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 26.
Waters was charged with carrying weapons, first-offense possession of a controlled substance-marijuana and first-offense possession of a controlled substance-cocaine. He was booked into the Dallas County Jail and released after posting $6,000 bond. Waters is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 26.
Stitt was charged with first-offense possession of a controlled substance-cocaine. She was booked into the Dallas County Jail and released after posting $1,000 bond. Stitt is scheduled to appear July 30.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
