LAKE HAVASU CITY – Attorneys presented brief opening statements as trial opened Tuesday for a Lake Havasu City man facing drug charges. Deputy Mohave County Attorney Phillip Delgado told a Mohave County Superior Court jury that the two-day trial for Kevin Carmona, 35, is simple and straightforward.
Carmona and co-defendant Whitney Coleman, 35, Lake Havasu, were arrested following a 1:30 a.m. traffic stop on June 13, 2025, in the vicinity of Hwy. 95 and Chenowith Drive. A police report said a K9 alerted during an open-air sniff of the Coleman’s vehicle that was driven by Carmona.
There’s no dispute that about one pound of cocaine was found in a backpack in the back seat of the vehicle and Delgado said Carmona is guilty of transportation of narcotic drugs for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia. McPhillips told the jury that it was Coleman’s vehicle, and that Carmona was unaware of the illegal cargo.
“Kevin Carmona did not know that there was cocaine in the pink, fuzzy backpack in the back seat,” McPhillips said. “He did not know that it was there. He was merely present … You will find Kevin Carmona is not guilty.”
The co-defendant is serving a 13-month prison sentence after violating terms of supervised probation.
Dave Hawkins
