GRAND COUNTY, Utah, April 22, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A wife and husband were arrested overnight in Grand County after officials say 52 pounds of methamphetamine and 32 pounds of cocaine were found in their rental vehicle.
“Both individuals advised they left their six children in Ohio to participate in criminal activity,” say arrest documents filed by an agent of the Grand County Sheriff‘s Office.
Rolonda Aniginette Watkins, 30, and Jerry Lee Watkins, 34, each face two charges of possession with intent to distribute a class C substance, a second-degree felony.
Rolonda Watkins, who was driving, faces additional charges of unsafe lane travel and equipment obstructing visibility windshield/windows, an infraction. (In some spots on the charging documents, Rolanda is spelled “Ralonda.”)
The GCSO officer stopped the vehicle, a silver Chevrolet Equinox at 11:18 p.m. Friday, for traffic violations, the statement says.
“I observed two large boxes in the back trunk area, a black bag, a yellow bag, and a pink bag,” charging documents say. The male woke up and identified himself. I was advised it was a rental. Rolonda sat with me in my patrol vehicle while I ran their information. Both individuals advised they were husband and wife. During the traffic stop I obtained reasonable suspicion based on nervous behavior, discrepancies in each individual’s story, and disproven lies about travel.”
The officer reportedly asks for consent to search the vehicle, which both Watkins denied. The officer applied for a search warrant, and a drug sniffing dog detected the odor of narcotics, the statement says.
The warrant was granted, and the officer opened boxes and “located 52 individually bagged white crystal-like substance. I recognized the substance to be methamphetamine. I additionally located 13 kilogram bricks in the bags observed in the trunk area. Eight kilogram bricks were green, three were white labeled Chiry, and two were labeled Lamborghini. Both the male and Rolanda were arrested and transported to Grand County Jail.
All contraband was seized, photographed and Narcotics Identification kit tested.
“Each type of kilogram brick tested positive for cocaine. I tested one of the identical white crystal bags. The white crystal bag tested positive for methamphetamine. The white crystal bag weighed one pound.
“The total weight of the white crystal bag’s were 52 pounds of methamphetamine. The total weight of the kilogram bricks were 32 pounds of cocaine. Both Rolanda and her husband are charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute.”
The couple’s cell phones were taken into evidence, and the rental Equinox was impounded and towed to be held for the rental company, the statements say.
The officer’s statements note that both suspects committed felonies “while on probation or parole, or while free on bail awaiting trial on a previous felony charge. There is substantial evidence to support the felony charge. Rolanda and her husband committed two felonies together.
“I believe both Rolanda and her husband are a risk to any community they are a part of…. I do not believe they will take accountability for their actions or have any concern for this community or their community. Both individuals advised they left their six children in Ohio to participate in criminal activity.”
Both suspects were ordered to be held without bail in the Grand County jail.
