Officers arrest hotel guests on drug charges

By Sun Advocate

On Feb. 4, Carbon Metro Drug Task Force agents arrested two individuals staying at a Price hotel on unlawful possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia charges.
While conducting an educational presentation for Holiday Inn employees, the law enforcement officers were advised of suspicious activity apparently taking place in one of the hotel rooms, indicated the authorities.
Holiday Inn manager Jana Abrams assisted Officers Brandon Sicilia and Kyle Kulow in identifying the parties staying in the room.
The agents confirmed active arrest warrants on the two subjects, 32-year-old Bernadette Duran and 26-year-old James Johnson.
The room was searched by the law enforcement officers, where the task force agents reportedly located small amounts of suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Task force agents arrested the subjects and transported the pair to the Carbon County Jail, where Duran and Johnson were booked on the arrest warrants as well as unlawful possession/use of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia charges.
In accordance with the recent no tolerance drug policy set by Abrams, the officers scheduled the presentation to familiarize employees about commonly abused drugs, the related side effects and the signs to watch for in hotel guests.
“More than likely, the drug task force is abundantly familiar with the majority of the drug users and dealers in our area,” explained Sicilia. “However, it is Carbon County residents who are the eyes and ears for any of our local law enforcement agencies.”
“It’s usually because of the public’s information that we can initiate an investigation and gain enough probable cause to establish an arrest,” noted the drug task force representative.
Residents should not become discouraged if information exchanged with law enforcement authorities does not result in immediate arrests, pointed out Sicilia.
Due to the confidential nature of the investigation process, it may take as long as two years before cases are disclosed and arrest warrants are issued .
Sicilia encouraged Carbon citizens to report suspicious situations and suspected illicit drug activity to the task force at 636-3176. Residents may also contact public safety dispatch at 637-0893 and the office will direct reports to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.