Traffic stop results in drugs, gun, cash seizure

On Tuesday, March 16, Officer Mike Mascorro, of the Thermopolis Police Dept., conducted a traffic stop near the Armory on US Highway 20 North. The vehicle was pulled over for speeding in a school zone. 

During the traffic stop, Officer Mascorro smelled the overwhelming odor of marijuana emanating from the interior of the vehicle and requested assistance from additional units.  

During a subsequent search of the vehicle, Thermopolis Police Department Officer Scott Gardner and Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Deputy Shayna Cox found 45 tabs (doses) of LSD. They also found approximately $1,600 in cash and a 10mm Hi-Point rifle.  

Officer Mascorro later secured a search warrant for a safe found within the vehicle. With the assistance of the Thermopolis Fire Department and using the “Jaws of Life”, Officer Mascorro was able to enter the safe revealing 3.18 ounces of plant-form marijuana and 18.86 grams of high concentrated THC “shatter” inside the safe. 

The vehicle occupants consisted of 19-year-old Daniel Norris Robinson, 18-year-old male Sebastian Kaige Jordan, one 17-year-old male juvenile, and one 16-year-old male juvenile. All subjects are from Rock Springs. The two juveniles were cited and released to their parents. The two adults were arrested and are currently pending charges for two counts of delivery of a controlled substance and three counts of felony possession of a controlled substance. All are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  

Police Chief Julie Mathews said, “These individuals were, we believe, delivering. That’s how we believe they got such a large amount of cash. We believe they had an intent and a setup in Thermopolis to deliver and sell LSD and some of the marijuana here.” 

Mathews added, “When there is a gun involved and drugs involved, I contact ATF because that is a federal offense.” Chief Mathews requested that the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms find the actual owner of the rifle. The firearm didn’t come up stolen. Mathews said they probably will be involving the Department of Criminal Investigation as well. 

Mathews reported that the four subject’s phones have been seized and they will see what information comes from that. They may discover other parties involved and determine if they are working for someone else. They will pursue this with a search warrant. 

Regarding the captured drugs being LSD versus the more commonly used meth, Mathews commented, “In the seven years I’ve been here, I’ve only seen one other confiscation of LSD and it was one or two tabs of it. But this amount seized is a felony amount. It is quite concerning because we haven’t seen a lot of that here for a long time and we certainly don’t want it to start.” 

Mathews said that the juveniles were either on spring break at the time or school wasn’t open then because of COVID. Both of the juveniles were allegedly under the influence of marijuana when they were contacted.

Mathews said, “I find it sad that we have two adults driving two juveniles across the state to get them into doing delivery of a controlled subject with a gun in the car. It’s not so much the gun, it’s the gun, the drugs and being under the influence of a controlled substance at the same time.”

Chief Mathews said that they know who the subjects were trying to reach in Thermopolis. She said, “The contact is known and hence it will further the investigation.”