Two meth cases bound over to district court

TRENTON, Neb. -- Hitchcock County Judge Anne Paine bound over to district court two methamphetamine-related cases following preliminary hearings in her county court Wednesday afternoon.

Public defender Ryan Wilcox asked Judge Paine to reduce the charges against his client, Jesse J. Kauffman, 35, those of aiding/abetting possession/manufacture of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class 1B felony punishable by life in prison at the maximum, or 20 years in prison at the minimum. "My client is grossly overcharged," Wilcox said.

Hitchcock County Deputy Ryan King testified before Judge Paine that he found a bong with smoking meth on a coffee table near Kauffman when he and other deputies served a search warrant on a Trenton home in September. King said that at the same time, Allen Dewane Anderson Jr. was holding a purple and gold bag with suspected meth and about $20,000 in cash.

Kauffman did not live in the house, but Anderson did, King testified.

Wilcox told Judge Paine that Kauffman had no meth on his body, no money and no baggies that may have been used to package meth. That his client is an "end-user" of meth does not mean he distributes it, Wilcox said. That Kauffman admitted to carrying a meth pipe does not justify a Class 1B felony charge, Wilcox said.

Judge Paine said, however, that Kauffman was found in a house using illegal drugs and the fact that officers had information that Kauffman "worked with Anderson" on the distribution of meth indicates to her more than personal use. She found that the state proved that a crime had been committed and that Kauffman was likely the man to have committed it, and bound Kauffman's case over to district court.

Judge Paine declined to reduce Kauffman's bond of $25,000/10 percent.

Deputy King told Judge Paine that Allen Dewane Anderson Jr., 53, was holding a purple and gold cloth "Crown Royal" whiskey bag in his hand when King entered the living room of the rental house at 114 West B in Trenton, serving a search warrant about 3 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Inside the Crown Royal bag was a plastic baggie with what was suspected to be 12 oz. of meth and a white and orange container with what was believed to be about $20,000 in mostly fresh, new 100- and 50-dollar bills. Inside a black zipper case in the chair beside Anderson was what officers believed to be about 2 oz. of meth. In Anderson's pocket was a baggie with about 3/8-oz. of suspected meth.

Back at the sheriff's office later, crystals and residue tested positive as methamphetamine, King said. Officers also found about $3,000 in Anderson's underwear when he was booked at the courthouse, Dept. King said.

King said there were not drug stamps or stamps or markings of any sort on any of the contraband.

King testified that Jeanie Vincent, who rents the house, told a Nebraska State Patrol investigator that Anderson makes trips to Colorado, that she counts out large amounts of money ($9,000 at one time) for him and that people then come to the house to buy drugs from Anderson.

King testified that inside the house deputies found a smoking bong, suspected meth, suspected acid pills, meth pipes, marijuana and marijuana pipes (one of a shelf with knick-knacks), a digital scale, needles and syringes, mirrors with a white residue on them, money and baggies. They also found a framed picture (of a drawing of two children) with suspected meth residue on the glass, and straws.

Judge Paine said that the large amounts of meth, the scale and large amounts of cash are sufficient evidence to show that crimes have been committed and that the defendant likely committed the crimes, and she bound Anderson's case over to district court.

Judge Paine declined to reduce Anderson's $150,000/10 percent bond.

Kauffman's and Anderson's appearances in district court have been set tentatively for Thursday, Nov. 3.

The preliminary hearing for a third defendant, Jeanie Vincent, has been continued.