Washington trio accused of drug trafficking
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 5 months AGO
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | November 12, 2020 1:00 AM
COEUR d’ALENE — Three Washington residents are facing felony charges after police said they trafficked drugs.
Police stopped a vehicle on U.S. 95 on Saturday for having an obstructed license plate. The driver was identified as Ashlie J. Green, 19, and the occupants were identified as Terrance A. Austin and Chance W. Case, both 35 years old.
After a K9 allegedly alerted to the scent of a narcotic coming from the vehicle, police performed a search, according to court documents.
Police said they found chunks of a brown substance they suspected to be heroin, as well as clear plastic bags containing chunks of the same substance.
The search also reportedly yielded paraphernalia, including a bong, used and unused pipes, used syringes, scorched tinfoil, straws used to consume illegal substances and a large scale with residue on it.
Police also allegedly found a plastic bag in Green’s bra, which contained a substance she said was heroin, according to court records.
In the trunk of the car, police said they found four tools, which Green said Austin and Case had stolen from a hardware store. The tools were worth more than $500.
Austin, Case and Green were arrested at the scene and charged with trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy, all felonies. Austin and Case are also charged with burglary, a felony.
Police said they found approximately eight grams of heroin in total, according to court documents.
In Idaho, trafficking between seven and 28 grams of heroin is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a minimum $15,000 fine.
A judge ordered that Austin and Case be held on $50,000 bail each, while Green is being held on $25,000 bail.
MORE LOCAL-NEWS STORIES
ARTICLES BY KAYE THORNBRUGH

Idaho judges will get pay boost
Idaho judges will see a pay increase beginning this summer.
A morbid curiosity: Smelly voodoo lily in bloom at Summit Sprouts in Hayden
Inside the hot, humid greenhouse at Summit Sprouts, Sarah Dormer leaned in close to the blooming amorphophallus konjac, took a deep breath and recoiled, gagging.

Coeur d’Alene police recommend criminal charges for town hall security team
Police recommend that Coeur d’Alene city prosecutors file misdemeanor charges against security personnel who dragged a woman out of the Coeur d’Alene High School auditorium and allegedly battered others during a chaotic legislative town hall hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.