WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah, Feb. 24, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A wrong-way driver was allegedly found with more than two pounds of methamphetamine in Washington County.
A probable cause statement from the 5th District Court of St. George said Cynthia Marie Ceynar, 55, is facing charges of:
- Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a second-degree felony
- Possession of controlled substance, marijuana/spice, a class B misdemeanor
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
The arresting officer conducted a traffic stop Sunday morning on the off-ramp of Interstate 5 northbound exit 10 for wrong-way driving, the statement said. The driver was heading southbound on the northbound off-ramp.
The officer stopped the vehicle and made contact with its driver and sole occupant, identified by her Montana driver’s license as Ceynar.
“While speaking with Cynthia regarding the reason for the stop I observed her behavior to be erratic,” the statement said. “I also observed Cynthia to be grinding her lower jaw in a lateral motion and her pupils to be non-responsive to the light from my flashlight. I recognized the observations as signs of drug use, specifically methamphetamine or another stimulant. Based on these observations I asked Cynthia if there was anything illegal in the vehicle including drugs.”
The officer wrote that when he asked this, Ceynar glanced several times to the rear seating area of the vehicle where a large duffel bag was sitting, “and nervously say no there was nothing in the vehicle,” the statement said.
The officer requested Ceynar exit the vehicle, and asked her if he could search her person based on a “large bulge in her front left jacket pocket,” the statement said.
“Cynthia stated I could search her and I found this large bulge to be a large torch-style lighter,” the statement said. “In this same pocket I located a small bag of a white crystalline substance consistent in appearance to methamphetamine and a glass bulb/stem-style pipe, commonly seen for smoking methamphetamine.”
When the officer searched the duffel bag, he found three large containers of what appeared to be peanut butter.
“These jars of peanut butter appeared to be sealed but I could see the peanut butter through the clear plastic container had been manipulated and smeared around, which would not be consistent with a sealed/fresh jar,” the statement said. “I pulled the paper seal back and could see the peanut butter had been repacked into the jar and there was a paper towel under a thin layer of peanut butter.”
After removing the first layer and the paper towel the officer could see a gallon-sized storage bag containing a large amount of a white crystalline substance consistent in appearance to methamphetamine, the statement said.
All three of the jars allegedly had a bag inside and a fourth jar containing the same was located on the front passenger’s floorboard of the vehicle, the statement said. In total, 2.11 pounds of methamphetamine were found.
The officer also located a small glass jar containing a green leafy substance consistent in odor and appearance to raw marijuana in Ceynar’s purse. On the front middle seat of the vehicle he located another small bag containing a white crystalline substance.
After being read her Miranda rights, Ceynar stated the methamphetamine in the peanut butter jars was hers and she had traveled from Montana to Los Angeles to buy it with $12,000 she had saved up from selling other methamphetamine, the probable cause statement said.
She stated it was her intention to return to Montana and sell the methamphetamine, it said.
The suspect was transported to Washington County Jail, with her bail set at $10,000.
