Maricopa Police arrested an alleged convicted felon Friday after they say a search of his vehicle yielded drugs and weapons.
Nicholas Amado, 38, of Casa Grande was arrested on multiple dangerous drug charges just after midnight on Feb. 9 at the Circle K convenience store on John Wayne Parkway and Bowlin Road after a call alerted authorities to an unconscious driver parked at a gas pump.
According to a Maricopa Police Department report, an officer found Amado “slumped over the center console” inside a blue 2002 Chevy Tahoe.
Amado stirred at the sound of the officer’s fist pounding on the driver’s side window and eventually opened the vehicle door. The officer reported smelling the “strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.”
The report states Amado denied having weapons in the vehicle and also said he was not in possession of a medical marijuana card.
As Amado exited the vehicle at the officer’s request, the report states two $20 bills were on the driver side floorboard. The officer offered to let Amado collect the cash before it blew away.
According to the report, the officer observed Amado “rummaging under the driver seat and pull(ing) out a large wad of money” before the officer walked him over to a police vehicle.
After the officer told Amado he would search the vehicle due to the marijuana odor, the report states Amado allegedly admitted to having marijuana in the ashtray of the SUV.
The officer’s search of the vehicle alleges the discovery of that and more, including:
- One “tennis ball-sized” bag of methamphetamine, weighing 18.3 grams in the driver seat
- One bag of methamphetamine, weighing 18.2 grams under the driver seat
- One bag of marijuana, weighing 1.4 grams in the dashboard ashtray
- One bag of marijuana, weighing 0.9 grams in a backpack behind the driver seat
- One clear plastic bag of crushed/powdered methamphetamine in the same backpack
All of the drugs later field tested positive on the TruNarc scanner, the report alleges.
The officer reported Amado is a “convicted felon who was in possession of two firearms.”
Inside the vehicle, the officer reportedly found two weapons, an H&K .22 caliber MP5 rifle and a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, both with accompanying ammunition.
A pill bottle containing eight oxycodone hydrochloride opioid pills and a black digital scale were also allegedly found in the vehicle.
“I located binoculars, off-road equipment and a medical first aid kit,” the officer wrote in the report.
After the search, the officer states he told Amado he was under arrest, walked over to Amado and “grabbed his left and arm and told him to place his hands behind his back.”
The report alleges Amado instead pulled away from the officer and ran through the parking lot.
A second police officer assisted in successfully placing Amado in custody, but the report states the suspect continued to resist while officers attempted to handcuff him.
Police transported Amado to Pinal County Jail on one count of resisting arrest, a class 6 felony; one count of possession of dangerous drugs, a class 4 felony; one count of possession of dangerous drugs for sale, a class 2 felony; one count of transport dangerous drugs for sale, a class 2 felony; one count of possession of marijuana, a class 6 felony; and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a class 6 felony. He is also charged with misconduct involving weapons, a class 1 misdemeanor; prohibited possessor in possession of firearms, a class 4 felony; possession of weapons in commission of drug offense, a class 4 felony; and possession of prescription medication without prescription, a class 1 misdemeanor.
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