Drug charges dropped against Carson man

The District Attorney's Office dropped trafficking and possession charges of more than a pound of methamphetamine crystals against a Carson City man Tuesday afternoon.

Jose Garcia-Gaona, 35, is still facing trafficking and possession charges, along with Francisco Solis-Ledezma, 32.

The three men were arrested on Aug. 4 on trafficking over 28 grams of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine.

Justice John Tatro dropped charges against Brian Ordaz, 18, Tuesday in court.

Ordaz was called as the first witnesses in a preliminary hearing into trafficking and possession charges still lodged against Garcia-Gaona and Solis-Ledezma.

Ordaz sold a Honda Accord to Garcia-Gaona on June 20 but did not have the title ready yet, he testified. The same Accord would be impounded on Aug. 3. Garcia-Gaona and Solis-Ledezma, with Ordza in tow with the title, would go to Valley Towing on Aug. 4.

Garcia-Gaona told Ordaz he "had a lot of stuff in his car that needed moving" and asked if Ordaz could come help them move the stuff, Ordaz testified.

Chellsey Kernodle, a dispatcher with Valley Towing, first got a call from a woman who asked several times if things in the car still were in it.

"I told her we did not remove anything," Chellsey Kernodle said.

Two men came to the tow yard and asked if they could get their prescriptions out of the car. Without proof of ownership over the prescriptions or the vehicle, the answer was no, she testified.

Matthew Kernodle searched the car for prescriptions but found none, he testified. Instead, he found a plastic bag in the trunk. When he opened the bag in the office, it was filled with crystals, Kernodle testified.

Kernodle called Carson City Dispatch and a deputy was sent over.

The men came back 30 minutes later, as they had been told by Valley Towing.

Sheriff's deputies instructed Valley Towing to put the suspected methamphetamine back into the trunk of the Accord, where it was originally found, according to the arrest report.

One deputy was "smuggled into the yard" so as not to be seen and more law enforcement was at the yard, Deputy Jason Bueno testified.

The three men were led to the car and Solis-Ledezma pulled the handle to open the trunk.

"Jose (Garcia-Gaona) handed me the green bag," Ordaz said. "When we walked to the Expedition, that's when the cops came out."

Garcia-Gaona and Solis-Ledezma are still in custody on $252,500 bail.

Three more witnesses are to be heard at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17.