Police Drug Probe Nets 14 Local Teens
Nine adults arrested in roundups
By Brian L. Covert
Tribune Staff Writer
Fourteen local high school students were taken from classes and arrested this morning in the climax of a five-month undercover drug-trafficking investigation by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.
Police Chief B. Dean Shelton said as of 10 a.m. today, 11 South Tahoe High School students were arrested for investigation of drug charges ranging from the possession of marijuana to offering to sell cocaine.
Another teenager was arrested at the Mount Tallac continuation school. More arrests are expected in the next few days, he said.
A 20-year-old female undercover officer had posed as a student in the operation, Shelton said. School officials were notified of the police department’s plans for arrests Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m still trying to digest this,” said Patti Hawkins, STHS principal.
“It’s really unfortunate that our kids would be involved in this type of situation. They made some very wrong decisions.”
Hawkins cooperated with the investigation after being notified by police.
“I wanted to work with them to make sure everything went down this morning. They were very cooperative with me,” she said.
Sixteen- and 17-year-old youths labeled by police as “John Doe” and “Jane Doe” were arrested on the various charges. Names of the youths were withheld.
Adults were also arrested as police issued search warrants at three local residences early this morning. Two more arrests are expected.
Lee Woodsmall, 37, was arrested about 8:45 a.m. at 2528 Armstrong Avenue on three counts of marijuana sales. About a pound of marijuana valued at $2,500 was found in a refrigerator at the scene. Also found was a small quantity of hashish, paraphernalia for drug sale use and about $500 in cash.
Patricia Fogle, 44, was arrested as officers served search warrants in an earlier raid at 1166 Highway 50, apt. #2. She was arrested for two counts of selling marijuana, one of those being sale to a minor, officers said.
Her husband, Raymond Fogle, 33, was arrested for possession of more than one ounce of marijuana. Thomas Fogle, 21, was arrested on one count of selling cocaine and two counts of selling marijuana, according to officers.
Joseph A. Winters, aka Joseph Fogle, age 20, a stepson, was arrested at the scene for possession of an illegal weapon.
Other adults arrested include:
Bryan Long, 18, a maintenance worker, for sale of marijuana
Charlotte Benton, 22, unemployed, for cocaine sale
Jay Gibson, 19, unemployed, sale of cocaine
Russell Devey, 36, for cocaine sale.
Shelton confirmed the adults were directly involved in connection with selling drugs to high school students.
Shelton said only top police officials were aware of the undercover operation, the first such program used in South Lake Tahoe.
“We didn’t tell anybody because of the undercover operation and the integrity of the program,” said Shelton.
Undercover officers with South Lake Tahoe police worked with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in training for the investigation, he said.