CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Two individuals are facing drug charges after a trooper with the Wyoming Highway Patrol says that they discovered them sleeping in their van off of WY 210.
According to obtained court papsers, Michael Pings, 42, and Anastasia Hetrick, 43, made their initial appearance in Laramie County Circuit Court on May 27th, 2020 to hear the recommended felony charge of Possession of Methamphetamine read to them.
The pair were also each charged with a misdemeanor count of Possession of Marijuana.
The WHP says that during the evening hours of May 22nd, 2020, one of their troopers stopped to check on a van that had pulled off of the road near milepost 9 on WY 210, otherwise known as Happy Jack Road.
The trooper reports that they observed two individuals laying in the back of the vehicle as they approached.
“I knocked loudly on the side window and a female, later identified as Hetrick, got up and spoke with me at the front window. The male remained laying in the back and continued to appear asleep.” the trooper stated in an affidavit filed in the case.
The male was later identified as Pings.
Court documents say that Hetrick told the trooper that they had pulled over to sleep on the side of the road because they were tired.
The trooper said that due to suspicious behavior from both suspects and observing multiple knives throughout the vehicle, he requested another trooper to come serve as backup.
According to affidavit, the troopers deployed a K-9 unit to conduct a free air sniff around the vehicle. During the inspection, it is alleged that the K-9 unit alerted the troopers to a positive alert.
Court papers say that a probable search was conducted on the vehicle where approximately 4.3 grams of suspected Methamphetamine was located on the floor between the front seats. During the same search, it is alleged that containers with suspected marijuana were also located.
Troopers report that Ping told them that he was unable to cooperate with them due to appearing impaired.
The affidavit says that Hetrick admitted to investigators that she knew about the marijuana being in the vehicle, but claimed she wasn’t aware of the presence of the methamphetamine.
The pair were then transported to the Laramie County Detention Center and booked.
All of those cited or arrested are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Charges are subject to change following official filings from the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office.
