19-year-old sentenced for criminal possession

A 19-year-old will spend the next five years behind bars following an incident in January.

Leonardo Perez, of Pasco, Wash., received his sentence on Oct. 18 from Judge James A. Manley.

Perez was sentenced for one count of criminal possession with intent to distribute, a felony punishable by a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and a $50,000 fine.

A misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia was dismissed.

Sitting in the back of the courtroom, his parents listened as prosecution, defense, Manley and Perez spoke.

Perez told Manley he was ready to accept his fate, “leaving it up” to the judge.

Court documents state that on Jan. 23, 2017, a Lake County Sheriff’s Office sergeant responded to a call on Highway 28 for a vehicle stuck in a ditch.

A deputy was on scene and noted he could smell the odor of marijuana once he made contact with the occupants inside the vehicle.

Law enforcement asked to search the vehicle and was denied.

Perez was placed under arrest for driving a vehicle while his license was under suspension. He was transferred to the Lake County Jail.

Perez told law enforcement while at the jail that the car was his father’s. He admitted to using marijuana found in the car.

When asked if there were other drugs in the vehicle, court documents state that Perez became “evasive” and asked for a lawyer.

Montana Highway Patrol K-9 was called to the scene to inspect the vehicle.

The K-9 alerted on the car at the driver’s side front door seam and the rear bumper.

Following a search warrant and search, a “big bag of green leafy buds of marijuana” were found in a backpack in the vehicle as well as “a white crystal substance” that appeared to be methamphetatmine.

The meth found was longer than a pen in size, approximately four to five inches in diameter and wrapped in clothing behind the back seat, court documents state.

The marijuana found weighed approximately 380 grams while the meth weighed approximately 480 grams.

During sentencing, Manley told Perez that while he doubted Perez was “in charge,” he still needed to be punished because he should have known better.

He also told Perez that as many as 900 people could have been hurt from that amount of methamphetamine.

Manley said he had originally intended a harsher punishment for the 19-year-old, but acknowledged that Perez kept in touch with counsel and followed directions from the court throughout the process.