Carson Valley teens admit dealing Ecstasy

Two teenagers admitted Monday they helped obtain the synthetic drug Ecstasy for distribution in Carson Valley.

Amanda Garcia, 17, a Douglas High School junior, and Jesse Glass, 18, admitted petitions of being principals to the sale of a controlled substance.

Garcia had been held at the juvenile detention facility at Stateline since their arrests April 24. Glass was being held in Douglas County Jail on $60,000 bail.

According to lawyer Kevin Walsh, Glass was 17 when the offense occurred and would be treated as a juvenile even though he was incarcerated with adult offenders.

Garcia and Glass were released on house arrest Monday and ordered to return to juvenile court May 21 for disposition which could range from probation to incarceration in a juvenile detention facility.

They also lose their driver's licenses for up to two years.

A third defendant, Derek Peterson, 16, was ordered to return May 7. His lawyer, Tod Young, said he had a conflict with another juvenile and was unable to represent Peterson.

District Judge Michael Gibbons appointed Matthew Ence to represent Peterson who is charged with two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance.

Gibbons ordered Peterson to remain in custody at the juvenile detention facility pending his next hearing.

Juvenile Probation Officer Tammy Morris recommended Peterson remain in custody.

"It's not in the community's best interest that he be released," she told Gibbons. "This is one of the most serious offenses we see in this office. He may be involved in other investigations."

Gibbons said if Peterson were convicted in adult court, he could be sentenced to 15 years for each count.

Garcia and Glass admitted driving Peterson to Reno on two occasions so he could pick up Ecstasy to be sold in Douglas County.

Walsh said in exchange for Guess admitting the charge, he may be sentenced to probation and accepted to drug court. There was no decision whether his vehicle would be forfeited.

Lawyer Derrick Lopez, representing Garcia, said his client hoped for probation.

He said she was a good student at Douglas High School and worked 20 hours a week. Her employer said she still had her job.

Her aunt sent a letter to the court "that she was a fine person and this was totally out of character," Lopez said.

Lopez said her parents were shocked at her behavior. She has no prior record and they were confident it wouldn't happen again.

Glass's parents submitted a schedule to the judge which detailed how they would supervise their son who still lives at home.

"My client hasn't had any prior history," Walsh said. "This is a total lapse of reason that got him into trouble."

The three juveniles were arrested at the conclusion of a two-month investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Street Enforcement Team.

Another juvenile who is not a Douglas student and four young adults also were arrested in separate offenses.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the Street Enforcement Team made controlled purchases of cocaine, marijuana and Ecstasy, a synthetic drug which acts as a hallucinogen and a stimulant.

Investigators also seized Oxycontin and morphine pills, which they believe the suspects were selling.

None of the purchases occurred on school property, but officers said they hoped the arrests would serve as a wakeup call to parents.

"One of those arrested had gone so far as to openly brag about his sales of Ecstasy on his MySpace Web page," according to spokesman Sgt. Tom Mezzetta.

"The Douglas County Sheriff's Office in collaboration with the Douglas County School District, would remind parents that these substances are in our community and our children are being approached and offered these drugs," Mezzetta said.