Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Det. Steve Deardowski took the stand last Wednesday in Chardon Municipal Court.
For nearly a half-hour, attorneys from the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as those representing defendants in Geauga County’s largest drug bust to date, questioned him about details of the case.
After the detective was cross-examined, Municipal Court Judge Terri Stupica said she found probable cause to bind over two of the four defendants, 36-year-olds Jacqueline Sanchez and Raymond Utt, to the Geauga County Municipal Court last Wednesday.
A third defendant, Omar Salano-Lopez, 20, has a preliminary hearing slated for 10 a.m. July 1, while the fourth, Dominick Bangera, 43, was bound over to Common Pleas Court last Friday. Both Salano-Lopez and Bangera are being held withuot bond.
Sanchez and Utt had $1 million bonds, which were continued at the request of Geauga County assistant prosecutors Mark Hockensmith and Nick Burling. Stupica honored their request and upheld their bonds.
Police charged all four defendants with first-degree drug possession. Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz said the case will be presented to a Geauga County grand jury for further charges.
On June 11, the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office raided a Newbury Township home at 15590 Parkview Drive, owned by Steven Kelly, according to Geauga County Auditor’s Office records.
The sheriff’s office seized one kilo of uncut black tar heroin, six pounds of crystal meth, 100 pounds of marijuana, steroids, 10 fully-loaded guns and $128,000 in cash from the residence.
Last Wednesday, with Sanchez and Utt flanked by their respective lawyers, John Bosco and Francis Krajenke, the detective took the stand.
Burling asked Deardowski, who started with the sheriff’s office in 2005, about his background. He has extensive experience in narcotics investigations. The prosecutor asked him about how the case unfolded.
“Were you familiar with the residence on Parkview?” Burling asked. “How did it come to light?”
Deardowski said suspicious behavior was reported by the U.S. Postal Service.
“That led to (suspicion of) drug trafficking and then led to a search warrant,” he said.
Prior to the search warrant being obtained, another deputy had received a report of a vehicle on the roadway.
The deputy on scene identified Utt at the residence and spoke to him about the vehicle. Utt was allegedly hesitant to give the deputy information, Deardowski said.
Burling asked Deardowski if he identified Sanchez’s vehicle, which he did — a 2003 Jaguar S-Type. The detective also said receipts for money orders from California, as well as colored rubber bands, were found in the vehicle.
Meanwhile, investigators found a secret room in the house containing drugs and various items.
“Those rubber bands in her car were consistent with the rubber bands found in the safe in the hidden room,” Deardowski said, adding all the contraband was sent to Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification offices.
The prosecution said it had no further questions.
Then, Bosco questioned the detective about the suspicious vehicle.
“How many firearms were in the vehicle?”
“There were one or two firearms,” the detective replied.
“Are you not sure?”
“For sure, one firearm. It was a long gun, a rifle,” Deardowski responded.
Bosco asked about the location of the firearms in the house during the discussion and whether or not detectives had moved them.
“I couldn’t tell you who was in there at the time,” the detective said, adding investigators were in and out of the house all day.
The detective said he searched the empty room across from Utt’s bedroom, then Utt’s room, then the master bedroom.
Other detectives were in the master bedroom at the time, he added.
After a few more follow-up questions, Bosco asked if Sanchez’s bond could be reduced, as her sister and brother-in-law live in Cleveland and she could be with them.
“They can raise some cash for a bond, but not enough to meet 10 percent of $1 million ($100,000),” Bosco said. “By reducing the bond, she could live with her sister.”
However, Burling said he had concerns about the proposal. Consequently, Stupica denied Sanchez’s bail reduction and bound her over.