On July 21 dispatch received a call from SOC that an adult male employee, Robert Baughman, at the clinic had possession of drug paraphernalia. The sheriff’s department sent a deputy to the base to initiate an investigation. Subsequently the deputy arrested Baughman on suspision of drug paraphernalia and drug possession.
Police reported Baughman had “Pep Spice” or synthetic marijuana on his person. Possession of synthetic marijuana is a felony under Nevada law. Police arrested Baughman and placed him in the Mineral County jail. Law enforcement set the suspect’s bail at $3,500. Someone posted bail for Baughman later in the day.
“You can overdose on Pep Spice. It’s got totally different effects than marijuana because it’s laced with a totally different chemical. In some cases it has hallucinogenic effects. By using it, you’re opening up a Pandora’s box of effects,” said Sheriff Stewart Handte.
Undersheriff Steve McBride and Handte expressed pleasure at the mutual cooperation with the base and SOC: “One of the sheriff’s goals when he took over was to bridge the gap between the base, the department and the community. Instead of working in three different directions, we’re working as one,” said McBride.
“It’s working pretty well because we understand we’re all a part of Mineral County,”Handte concluded.
