Parolee charged with bribing witnesses

A 41-year-old California parolee was jailed on $50,000 bail charged in two counts of bribing or intimidating a witness to influence testimony in an upcoming trial.

Aaron John Winton of Cameron Park, Calif., appeared Friday before East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl who appointed lawyer Robert Morris to represent him.

He ordered Winton to return to court on Wednesday.

According to court documents, two witnesses in the trial of Kimberly Lopes allegedly were approached by Winton.

Lopes, 28, is facing four felonies stemming from an April 9, 2008, incident at Stateline in which 29 grams of methamphetamine exchanged hands.

She is charged with sales of a controlled substance, attempted trafficking, trafficking and being an habitual felon.

Lopes pleaded not guilty to the charges and was to go on trial Tuesday before District Judge Michael Gibbons.

The trial date was postponed after Lopes was appointed a new lawyer Sept. 14 to avoid a conflict with a codefendant who might testify in the case.

A new trial date has not been set, and Lopes is in Douglas County Jail. She has three prior convictions in California.

Lopes was not charged in connection with the alleged bribery.

Her codefendants, who received probation and admission to Western Regional Drug Court in plea agreements with the district attorney, said they were approached by Winton and asked to lie on the stand.

As part of their plea agreements, the witnesses promised to testify truthfully if called as witnesses.

One witness said Winton offered to pay her rent and drug court fees if she would testify that she was under the influence and couldn't remember what happened at Stateline.

A second witness told a similar story.

Winton said Friday he was on parole in California for one year for possession of methamphetamine.

Lopes and Winton were arrested in August 2008 after more than a year on the run.

South Lake Tahoe police said the two were suspected methamphetamine dealers sought by law enforcement agencies from the Bay Area to Nevada.

Lopes is being held without bail with a hold from California Department of Corrections.