Casper Police Book 3 for Meth, Pot Following Report of Drug Sales

Casper police officers arrested three people late Wednesday and early Thursday following a report of a wanted woman selling drugs out of an apartment.

Dana Benjamin, 53, was booked into jail on recommended charges of methamphetamine possession and marijuana possession.

Jamie Geesey, 39, was booked on the same recommended charges, as well as a criminal warrant.

34-year-old Shane Erickson was also arrested on recommended charges of methamphetamine possession and marijuana possession. The three will likely make their initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court at 2 p.m. Thursday.

According to affidavits of probable cause, two Casper police officers were dispatched to an apartment in the 200 Block of West Seventh Street at roughly 9:15 p.m. Wednesday following a report of a woman at the residence who had a warrant out for her arrest and was selling controlled substances.

One officer knocked on the front door and spoke with Benjamin, who was renting the apartment. Geesey had been staying there for about two weeks, as had her boyfriend, Erickson. The officer explained the reason for the visit and was given permission to search the apartment.

Several pieces of drug paraphernalia were allegedly found inside the apartment, including a sliver scale with methamphetamine residue, a methamphetamine pipe with residue, a container with marijuana residue, a small bag of methamphetamine on Benjamin's person and a spoon with methamphetamine residue, among other items.

Benjamin reportedly claimed to have last smoked methamphetamine earlier that day, saying she had relapsed while trying to cope with the death of her mother. Erickson and Geesey both reportedly told police that they had smoked marijuana earlier in the day, and had smoked meth the day prior.

All three suspects denied possession of any of the controlled substances or paraphernalia that had been found in the residence, with the exception of the meth in Benjamin's pocket, which she claimed.

Geesey had a confirmed Natrona County warrant and was arrested. She reportedly became hysterical and non-compliant. Outside an officer's patrol vehicle, Geesey was placed into the rear of a patrol vehicle, where she allegedly tried to ditch a marijuana pipe and a small baggie of meth that had been in her bra.

Erickson and Benjamin were both arrested without incident.