Carson City arrest report: Traffic stops lead to felony drug charges

A 44-year-old transient man was arrested Thursday afternoon in the area of Curry at Betts for possessing methamphetamine, after a routine traffic stop.

Michael Luis Cota was pulled over after deputies observed a van towing a Ford Explore with a rope, and neither vehicle had valid registration.

The deputy noted that Cota was speaking very rapidly, sweating profusely, and had very defined muscle tone and veins.

A records search revealed that Cota’s license was suspended and he had pending DUI charges. He also did not have proof of valid insurance, and he had a warrant for a drug charge in California.

He also had an “extensive and violent criminal history,” according to the police report, with multiple felon convictions in Texas, Nevada, and California, yet had failed to register in Carson City as a felon.

K-9 Deputy Ivo was called to the scene, and conducted an exterior sniff around the vehicle. He altered to the presence of a drug at the van, but not the Explorer.

Inside, deputies found several hypodermic needles, pieces of torn baggies, a hollowed pen tube, which tested positive for methamphetamine.

His charges were possession of a controlled substance, a felony, possession of drug paraphernalia, a convicted person failing to register, driving with a suspended license, driving with no insurance, and driving with expired registration.

Bail: $5,500.

In other arrests:

— A 31-year-old Carson City man was arrested on the charge of felony possession of a controlled substance Thursday afternoon in the 2700 block of Highway 50.

Dustin Matthew Johnson was driving a pick up truck without a visible license plate on Highway 50, and deputies conducted a traffic stop.

Dispatch informed deputies that the registration for the vehicle had been suspended, and that Johnson had a previous history of drug use.

An unnamed K-9 deputy arrived and conducted a sniff of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive response.

Inside the truck’s cab deputies located a white powered substance which later tested positive for methamphetamine, and a glass pipe with white residue inside.

He was taken into custody without incident.

Bail: $3,637.

— A 26-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Thursday evening in the 400 block of E. Long Street on a charge of domestic battery.

According to the police report, deputies were flagged down by a citizen who said there was a domestic violence issue taking place.

When deputies arrived on scene, they saw the woman and a man outside arguing. The two were separated and interviewed.

The woman said she was having an argument with her off-and-on boyfriend over her drinking. They have a child in common. She said during the argument she threw a car key at the man, striking him on the shoulder.

She said he then grabbed the car key and stabbed himself in the head.

Deputies spoke with the man, who had blood running down the left side of his head. He said he had been living with the woman up until a week ago, and she had a drinking problem. He said that during their argument, she “stabbed” him on the head.

An independent witness stated they saw the man hugging their child, and the woman attempted to pull the child away. The witness stated it looked like they were playing tug of war.

It was deemed she was the primary aggressor and was taken into custody.

Bail: $3,137.

— A 39-year-old Carson City woman was arrested in the 400 block of E. Adam Street Thursday morning on the charges of obstructing a public officer and contempt of court.

Deputies were called to a motel to deal with an unwanted subject.

Deputies were told that the woman had just been evicted from her apartment, but had been allowed to put some of her things inside a friend’s apartment. The friend told deputies the manager of the hotel was threatening to evict the friend if she continued to allow the woman to keep her possessions in the apartment.

Deputies saw the woman approaching the motel and pulled over. Deputies approached the woman and said they needed to speak with her, at which point she began running.

The deputy began to chase the woman, and told her to stop running. She ran through the motel, across Carson Street and behind businesses.

The deputy decided to stop chasing her and returned to his patrol car. He drove down Long Street and saw the woman, who then began running again. The deputy exited their vehicle and lost sight of her.

The deputy found the woman a few houses down, crouching behind a fence and out of breath. She raised her hands over her head and said she was done running.

She admitted to having a misdemeanor warrant, which is why she had run. The warrant was for failing to appear in court in December of 2017.

She was booked on obstructing an officer, as well as the warrant.

Bail: $3,412 cash only.

— A 37-year-old Carson City man was arrested Thursday morning in the 2500 block of N. Carson Street on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery.

On Wednesday, deputies were called to the hospital for a report of a domestic battery that had occurred Tuesday night.

According to the police report, the victim reported she and her husband had gotten into an argument regarding the discipline of their small child. The argument escalated and the husband began calling the victim names and became enraged. He then punched her in the left eye and pushed her in front of their small child.

Deputies attempted to locate the husband on Wednesday but were unable to find him.

The husband called dispatch Thursday morning and stated he wanted to turn himself in on the charge of domestic battery.

Bail: $3,132.

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.