Two Carson City women were arrested Saturday on felony charges of possession of methamphetamine. Both were taken to the hospital after one admitted that she had two hypodermic needles hidden in her vagina, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office arrest report.
Karesa Steepe, 22, and Mary Janae Adams, 24, were arrested at 4:55 p.m. at College Parkway and Goni streets.
According to the arrest report, officers with the Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team were patrolling and stopped a vehicle after it made several erratic movements that caused it to move outside of the travel lane.
Officers made contact with the women, each known from prior contacts. A K9 was requested to the location, in which the exterior of the vehicle was sniffed by the dog, which resulted in a positive, the arrest report states. A search was done of the vehicle, where a bag with a hypodermic needle was found and a small amount of methamphetamine.
Officers spoke with Steepe who said that the bag was hers. She was placed in the patrol car. Officers then spoke with Adams, and was asked if she knew anything about the bag. She said she was "staying clean," the arrest report states.
The officer walked back to Steepe and asked if she had any one that could pick up her vehicle. As the deputy began to talk to her Steepe stated without being asked "I'm not taking this one for her. The bag is hers, I just said it was mine because she is pregnant and I wanted to help her," the arrest report states. Steepe was again asked if the bag was hers and she said it was Adams', the arrest report states.
Adams was asked again who the bag belong to and she replied that the bag belonged to both of them, and then said the bag wasn't hers. Adams was arrested.
Steepe was again questioned where she said she witnessed Adams hide some "dope inside her." Steepe was asked if she meant that Adams had placed an unknown amount of methamphetamine in her vagina to conceal it from law enforcement, which is a common tactic used by some in the process of selling and transporting drugs.
Deputies asked Adams if she had any items on her. She said she did not and was adamant that she did not have any drug items in her body. A search of Adams by a female deputy at the jail found no drugs in the woman's body, the arrest report states. A subsequent search of Adams at the hospital found no foreign drug items in her body. It was unclear if the woman was pregnant or if Steepe made up the story about her friend being pregnant.
Officers then asked Steepe if she had any drugs hidden in her body. At first she denied any. Then Steepe told the officer: "I have a rig in me." A "rig" is common drug slang for a hypodermic needle. The officer asked Steep to clarify and the woman admitted that she had a hypodermic device hidden inside of her vagina, the arrest report states.
Steepe was taken to the hospital after two hypodermic devices were hidden in Steepe's vaginal cavity and had become lodged in a way that could not be removed by the female jail deputy. Steepe also experienced some bleeding, the arrest report states. The needles were removed and booked into evidence. The doctor stated that no serious injury was done to her, the arrest report states.
Adams was also checked at the hospital, where a full pelvic exam was done on her consent and no foreign items were found.
Steepe was released on $2,500 bail. Adams remains in jail.