A transient couple were arrested on Wednesday and face multiple felony drug charges after allegedly attempting to use a minor in a Aug. 25 heroin deal.
Amanda and Justin Steepe, both 22, face felony charges including conspiracy, sales of a controlled substance, and using a minor as a drug agent. Amanda Steepe also has an outstanding felony warrant for her arrest. Her bail was set at $40,000. Justin Steepe is being held on $20,000 bail.
Officers assigned to the Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement team, alternative sentencing officers and an officer from the probation department worked together to make the drug deal which led to the arrests.
According to authorities, an informant set up a drug sale with the Steepe's on Aug. 25. The Steepe's are known heroin users and dealers in the area, according to the arrest report. The sale was for three balloons of heroin, but Justin Steepe told the informant that three balloons wasn't enough and an agreement was made to sell five balloons for $95.
During the negotiation Amanda Steepe took over and told the informant she already had two controlled buys on her and she did not want a third one, according to the arrest report. She told the informant she was going to send someone to pick up the money and return with the heroin. Steepe agreed the location would be at a casino in the 3800 block of Highway 50 East.
At 9:26 p.m. a silver Dodge Durango parked in a casino parking lot next to an undercover officer. The officer watched as a male juvenile got out of the Durango and walked to the west side of the casino parking lot where the juvenile got into the informant's vehicle. The informant drove back to the juvenile's vehicle where the boy took the $95 from the informant. The juvenile promised the informant he would return with the heroin, according to the report.
After 15 minutes, the juvenile had not returned with the heroin and the informant called the Steepe's who both told the informant the subject would return with the heroin. After a call back to both the Steepe's and the informant, it was determined they had turned off their cell phones, according to the report.
The 17-year-old juvenile has been identified as a Carson City gang member who is related to Steepe, according to the report. The past few times officers have met with the boy he claimed he was no longer active in gangs. At about 10 p.m. an officer went to the boy's home and met with his mother. The juvenile came home at about 10:50 and the officer read him his Miranda rights. The boy agreed to speak to the officer while his mother was present, according to the report.
The juvenile admitted Amanda Steepe called him and asked him to pick up the money for the informant which the juvenile agreed. After the juvenile picked up the money from the informant he met with both Steepe's at Lowe's in Carson City where he gave them the $95, according to the report. When the juvenile told the couple the informant was calling and asking for the heroin, they told him not to answer the phone calls, according to the report.
The Special Enforcement Team wasn't able to find the Steepe's that night but tracked their movements. On Saturday, Aug. 28, Justin Steepe called an officer with the Special Enforcement Team and stated he knew someone had tried to set him up to buy heroin from him.
On Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 10:45 p.m. a deputy found the Steepe's walking along Long and Humboldt streets in Carson City. The couple were arrested for sales of a controlled substance, conspiracy to violate the uniform controlled substance act, using a minor as a drug agent, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and petit larceny. Amanda Steepe was also charged with a Carson City Justice Court warrant for sales of a controlled substance.