Gillette residents charged for possession

Two Gillette residents face possession charges after being pulled over for speeding on the highway in Crook County.

On November 24 at 7:44 p.m., a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling U.S.14 when he reports observing a vehicle traveling at 84 mph in a 70 mph zone. He conducted a traffic stop, during which he reports recognizing the driver and passenger from a previous stop, when he had found the driver had a suspended license.

According to court reports, the trooper asked the driver, Jesse David Larralde, if he was still suspended, to which he replied that he was, but had been working on it.

The trooper requested a K-9 unit to respond to his location. When asked for insurance details, Larralde allegedly had trouble locating it.

Due to the circumstances of the previous stop, which the trooper describes as involving a “test drive” of a vehicle, the trooper asked about ownership of the current vehicle. Larralde allegedly said he had traded his car for this vehicle but did not have the title or bill of sale with him.

When asked why he was driving with expired temporary tags, Larralde allegedly said he had just started working again and had many expenses to pay. The trooper was able to verify that Larralde was driving with a suspended license with three active “fail to appear” suspensions.

The K-9 unit from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office then arrived and returned a positive alert on the vehicle. The passenger, Samantha Thompson, was asked to exit the vehicle to allow a probable cause search.

During that search, items recovered included a clear plastic bag with a white residue, a glass bottle containing white crystal, a green leafy substance, a clear glass pipe containing white residue, several needles with one containing a dark red substance and a homemade pipe containing white residue.

Larralde allegedly claimed the dog hit on his car due to it containing hemp, which he said he smokes; that the glass pipe was a “nectar collector”; and that the needles were present due to his diabetes. However, he “did not understand” the question when the trooper asked him what type of diabetes he has and allegedly admitted he had lied.

Thompson was found to be on probation out of Gillette for a drug-related offense and to have two prior convictions for possession of controlled substances, while Larralde’s criminal history showed one prior conviction for possession.

The evidence was processed at the Sundance Highway Patrol Office, with presumptive positives for methamphetamine and marijuana.

Larralde was charged with one felony count of possession of methamphetamine in liquid form and misdemeanor counts of possession of methamphetamine in crystal form and possession of marijuana.

Thompson was charged with one felony count of possession of methamphetamine in liquid form and a misdemeanor count of possession of methamphetamine in crystal form.