Traffic Stop Leads to Felony Meth Bust

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – A routine traffic stop led to the arrest of a man and a woman on felony drug possession charges on Thursday night, Aug. 17.

Raymond Ernest Christoph, 51, and Carissa Michelle Carter, 36, were taken into custody after the vehicle they were traveling in was pulled over “… because its high mounted stop lamp was not working, as required by state law,” an affidavit of probable cause reported.

According to the affidavit, Carter – from Grapeland – and Christoph – from Crockett – were pulled over in the 100 block of East Goliad Avenue at approximately 9 p.m. by Crockett Police Sergeant Alfredo Fajardo.

When the police sergeant approached the car, the affidavit stated he observed three people in the vehicle.

“The driver was verbally identified as Raymond Christoph, the front right seat passenger was identified with his driver license as Dwayne Strange and the backseat passenger was identified with her driver license as Carissa Carter. I was familiar with Christoph and Strange from previous incidents and knew they were both known to use drugs,” the report stated.

The affidavit indicated while Fajardo was talking with Christoph, he observed “… a registration sticker affixed to the windshield that belonged to a different vehicle. Also, I (Fajardo) saw an open bottle of liquor near the vehicle’s center console.”

When Fajardo asked to see Christoph’s driver’s license and proof of insurance, Christoph informed the officer he did not have either one. The affidavit indicated when Fajardo ran Christoph’s name through a law enforcement database, court records revealed Christoph did have a driver’s license, but it had expired i

n 1989 and was not eligible for renewal.

Fajardo also discovered Christoph “… had warrants out for his arrest out of the City of Crockett’s Municipal Court. They were for driving without a valid driver’s license X 2, expired registration X 2, failure to provide proof of financial responsibility X 2 and failure to appear.”

Christoph was placed under arrest for the outstanding warrants and was asked if Carter was the same female he had previously been arrested with on drug charges.

“Christoph replied that she was, and when asked, eventually admitted that he had a pipe used to smoke methamphetamine inside the car. Christoph indicated he had given the pipe to Carter to hold,” the report stated.

Fajardo then asked Carter to step out of the car so he could speak to her. After she was informed Christoph said he had given her the pipe, Carter admitted she had placed it in a pink bag in the back seat near where she was sitting. Carter was also asked if there was any meth in the vehicle to which she replied “… there might be some in the pipe,” the statement reported.

A search of the vehicle uncovered a set of digital scales, several more meth pipes, two used syringes, two Hydrocodone pills and a partial Xanax pill.

As the search continued, Fajardo “… eventually found a tin container that was somewhat hidden between the center console and a car battery that was in the back seat area. Inside the container, I found a transparent bag with two large chunks of suspected methamphetamine. The suspected methamphetamine was later weighed at about 5.18 grams,” according to the affidavit.

Both Carter and Christoph denied knowledge of the tin canister containing the meth but stressed Strange did not have any knowledge of the drugs which were discovered.

“When asked about the pills, Carter told me (Fajardo) what they were and said that she did not have a prescription for them. Strange was released and Carter and Christoph were taken to the Houston County Jail,” the affidavit stated.

Carter was booked into custody on one count of possession of a controlled substance penalty group one, greater than or equal to four grams but less than 200 grams. She was also charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, penalty group three.

Christoph was booked into custody on one count of possession of a controlled substance penalty group one, greater than or equal to four grams but less than 200 grams. He was also charged with driving while his license was invalid with previous convictions/suspensions as well as failure to provide proof of financial responsibility.

The possession of a controlled substance, penalty group one charge is considered as a second degree felony under Texas law. According to Section 12.33 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 20 years or less than two years. In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.”

The possession of a controlled substance, penalty group three charge is considered as a Class “A” misdemeanor under Texas law. According to Section 12.21 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a Class ‘A’ misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $4,000; confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or both such fine and confinement.”

The traffic offenses are considered as a Class “B” misdemeanors under Texas law. According to Section 12.22 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a Class ‘B’ misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $2,000; confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days; or both such fine and confinement.”

As of press time, the bonds for Carter and Christoph had not been set.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].