Frio deputies snare drugs in Pearsall patrols

PROTECTED CONTENT

If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.

Lost your password?

Username and Password Help

Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.

← Back

Frio County sheriff’s deputies have made a number of arrests in apparently unrelated cases that have revealed an increased level of methamphetamine drug traffic in Pearsall.
Officers patrolling the community late last week effected traffic stops in which the occupants of vehicles were found in possession of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Reports indicate that deputies stopped the driver of a black sedan on the corner of Comal and Oak streets Thursday, June 9, after noticing that the vehicle had a defective headlight. The driver was identified as Janice Martinez, 46. Officers reported that the woman tried to climb out of the vehicle after she had been stopped.
During the roadside interview with Martinez and her passenger, 56-year-old Avery Theus, deputies noted a strong odor of marijuana coming from the Toyota Corolla. Theus was found in possession of marijuana and a pipe in the front pocket of his pants; a further search of the vehicle uncovered a bag of methamphetamine in a purse that the couple had allegedly attempted to conceal under a towel.
It was later determined that the bag containing methamphetamine weighed nearly a gram and the couple was also in possession of six grams of marijuana.
Theus and Martinez were transported to the Frio County Jail without further incident and face state jail felony charges for possession of the methamphetamine. Theus is charged with a Class B misdemeanor for marijuana possession.
As of presstime Martinez and Theus remain in custody.
Three days later, a sheriff’s deputy patrolling the westside of town near the elementary school noticed a man walking in the road near the intersection of Power Plant Road and Athol Lane.
The pedestrian has been identified as Kevin Gonzales, 25, who allegedly admitted to the deputy that he had recently used methamphetamine and was in possession of a glass pipe and narcotics.
A search revealed Gonzales had methamphetamine in the pocket of his shorts.
Emergency dispatch personnel confirmed Gonzales has three active warrants for arrest. A further report on the case indicates Gonzales tried harming himself while he was being transported to jail and had to be restrained.
The sheriff’s office has confirmed that Gonzales was subsequently taken to a treatment facility in San Antonio. Two more warrants – state jail felony for possession of a controlled substance and Class A misdemeanor for resisting arrest or transport – have been issued for the suspect.