Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
After a two-day trial in Kimball County district court, a California man was found guilty on four felony charges. His bond continues, and he will be sentenced on May 7 at 2:30 p.m.
In just under two hours, the jury of five women and seven men found Andrew Mendoza guilty of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, no drug tax stamp, and carrying a concealed weapon.
The charges stemmed from a speeding incident on I-80 on Nov. 2, 2021, a case that didn’t reach trial until now due to a series of legal motions. The Nebraska State Patrol clocked a 2021 Dodge Durango traveling 82 mph at mile marker 18.
When the state patrol attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver drove along the shoulder of the road for ½ to ¾ mile. When the vehicle finally stopped, driver Myra Williamson’s hand appeared to shake when she handed her license to Sgt. Balthazor from the Nebraska State Patrol. The officer detected a faint odor of marijuana. Andrew Mendoza was in the passenger seat of the rental vehicle.
Williamson was issued a written warning for speeding and consented to have her suitcase searched although the vehicle was rented to Mendoza, who denied a consent search according to court documents. When advised that Sgt. Balthazor had a K-9 unit coming, “Mendoza became very defensive and somewhat aggressive in making accusations.”
The search produced luggage with multiple bags of marijuana (a total of about 36 pounds) and about one ¼ pound of psilocybin mushrooms. A scale and vacuum sealer were found along with a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson semiautomatic handgun in the center console with a loaded magazine inside and additional ammunition in the vehicle.
Kimball County Attorney Dave Wilson prosecuted the case, and Robert Harvoy was the court appointed attorney for Mendoza. The driver of the vehicle, Myra Williamson, testified against Mendoza.
In closing arguments, Wilson said the duo were en route to Kansas City with the purpose of the trip to sell the mushrooms and marijuana. Wilson said the amount of seized merchandise was not consist for personal use.