Fletcher gets 1-5 years in meth plea

A Carson City woman who was found driving a car with half-pound of methamphetamine was sentenced Monday to one to five years in the Nevada women's correctional center after pleading guilty to trafficking between 4 and 14 grams of a controlled substance.

Dawn Fletcher, 32, was originally charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, along with several drug-related misdemeanors. But the largest quantity of meth was found closer to another passenger, who was not detained by Carson City sheriff's deputies.

"It was apparent to us that the defense was going to say the drugs were his," Assistant District Attorney Gerald Gardner said when Fletcher struck a plea deal. "And we couldn't prove otherwise."

She was arrested about 2 a.m. Feb. 9 when her SUV's headlights blinded a deputy, according to the arrest report. When the deputy turned around, her SUV sped off before finally pulling over. Fletcher told the deputy that she was "just out for a drive" and heading toward Eagle Valley Middle School, according to the report. The deputy told her she was heading in the wrong direction.

A records check showed that Fletcher's passenger, Tara Michelle Schulz-Graham, had a warrant out for her arrest. The deputy searched her and found two meth pipes, three bags of meth totaling about 7.4 grams and two hypodermic needles, according to the report. Schulz-Graham was charged with trafficking a controlled substance between 4 and 14 grams. Schulz-Graham is also part of an case against a Vagos motorcycle club member who allegedly kidnapped and beat a suspected methamphetamine dealer in Carson City.

Upon further search with a K-9 unit, deputies found a bag with an ounce of meth, a bag of marijuana, another meth pipe, a scale, packaging materials and a plastic bag filled with about a half-pound of meth, according to the report. The third passenger, who was not detained, also handed over $900 that he said belonged to Fletcher, according to the report.