Drugs, gun, fake cash lead to felony charges during welfare check
A welfare check on people sleeping in a car Tuesday morning resulted in the arrest of a homeless felon and local woman on multiple felony charges after drugs, a gun and counterfeit money were allegedly found.
David Jonathan Bassford,
38, a convicted felon who lists “city streets” as his address, was taken into custody around
9:30 a.m. and charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, pun- ishable by up to life in prison, first-degree forgery, punishable by up to 20 years, possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 10 years, possession of a firearm by certain persons and possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years, and a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver.
Jill Ann Thomas, 40, who lists an Elkhorn Loop address, was taken into custody at the same time and charged with first-degree forgery, punishable by up to 20 years, and possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years, and additional misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, involving marijuana and Clonazepam.
Bassford was being held on zero bond and Thomas was being
held on bonds totaling $10,500 and both appeared Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after 9 a.m., officers Robert Plyler and Jamie Ugartechea responded to the Mapco convenience store, 4139 Central Ave., regarding two people sleeping in a silver Altima. They made contact with Bassford, who was in the driver’s seat, and Thomas, who was in the front passenger seat, and a second man, 20, in the back seat behind Bassford.
Bassford and Thomas told the officers they were sleeping in the car because they were “tired after riding around town visiting with friends (Monday night).” Plyler asked them if they had anything on them or in the vehicle and they denied it, and consented to being searched.
During a search of Bassford, a .25-caliber handgun was allegedly found in his jacket pocket. After noting Bassford was a convicted felon, he was taken into custody. In searching him further, officers allegedly found a baggie with 0.4 gram of what later tested positive for meth and a bag of marijuana, about 2 grams, in his pockets.
Thomas and the second man were also searched and nothing was found. During a search of the vehicle, officers reportedly found a large black bag on the console between where Bassford and Thomas had been sitting that contained “several pieces of paper with photo colored images of U.S. currency, front and back.”
They also found a purse in the floorboard they had noted Thomas was holding when they first arrived that allegedly contained a glass smoking pipe and her wallet. Inside the wallet, they reportedly found a bag with 0.9 gram of marijuana and seven Clonazepam pills. In the glove box, they found a bag of unused syringes and found “a large amount” of unused baggies inside a compartment in the dash.
Investigators with the department’s Special Investigation Division-Narcotics were notified and also responded to the scene. The second man was reportedly not charged in the incident.
Bassford was previously convicted Sept. 6, 2011, in Garland County Circuit Court of possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to manufacture meth after he was caught with a portable meth lab in his possession. He was sentenced to six years in prison and later paroled.