Under a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office, Jaime Lynne Vazquez, 35, of Poncha Springs was sentenced January 2^nd to five years with the Department of Corrections, plus a mandatory three years of parole, after she entered a plea of guilty in Chaffee County District Court to a charge of possession of more than two grams of methamphetamine, a class four felony. 

The court action stemmed from Vazquez’s arrest last April when Deputy Sheriff Ben Adair attempted to stop a black sedan for a minor traffic violation on US 5O near Poncha Springs.  As Deputy Adair turned his patrol car around to make the stop the sedan sped up, ran a stop sign, and turned onto Hulbert Avenue in Poncha Springs where the deputy lost sight of the vehicle.

A few minutes later the deputy spotted the vehicle parked at the side of 105 Evans Avenue; it was unoccupied.  The deputy ran the car’s license plate and discovered the plate was reported stolen.  A check of the car’s vehicle identification number revealed that it too had been reported stolen.  The investigation continued as the deputy, assisted by other lawmen, entered the house and questioned residents inside, including Vazquez, a resident of the house.  Discovered hiding in a crawl space were two other subjects, including Elija Patterson, 34, of Colorado Springs, found to be wanted on an arrest warrant for parole violation. 

Evidence collected during the search of the house included a backpack in which was found a loaded 9mm handgun, marijuana, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, cell phones, and a digital camera.  All were seized as evidence.

Vazquez and Patterson were arrested and jailed.  Patterson was convicted by a jury November 21on several felony charges arising from the incident and is serving a sentence with the Department of Corrections for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a class three felony; possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a class six felony; aggravated motor vehicle theft, a class four felony; possession of a firearm by a previous offender, a class six felony; and a misdemeanor drug offense.

Prosecutor for the state’s case was Ms. Molly Chilson, deputy district attorney for the Eleventh Judicial District.