KINGMAN – An alleged drug-dealing Lake Havasu City couple entered identical plea agreements during separate, back-to-back hearings on Jan. 12 at the Mohave County Law and Justice Center in Kingman. Ted Joines, 38, and Leslie Joines, 31, pleaded guilty to one count each, reduced to attempted possession of narcotic drugs for sale.
The business owners were busted last summer following multiple month-long investigations into Lake Havasu area trafficking activity. Authorities said police were surveilling the defendant’s residence at 3040 Bosum Drive on July 9 when Mr. Joines left in a vehicle that was stopped for an alleged traffic infraction.
Deputy Mohave County Attorney Eric Nolan said a K9 alert on the vehicle led to a search that produced seizure of two plastic bags of illegal drugs. He told Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen that one contained more than 50 grams of cocaine while the other contained 15 grams of the same drug.
Nolan said Mrs. Joines answered the door when officers subsequently showed up to execute a search warrant at the property the next day, the morning of July 10. More than 1,000 grams (roughly a kilogram) of cocaine was reportedly located where concealed in attic space above a linen closet.
Lake Havasu Police Lieutenant Frank Hayden, at the time of the arrests, also reported seizure of Adderall pills, fentanyl pills, a half-pound of marijuana, two rifles, three handguns and cash.
The Joines’ face identical ranges of punishment at a Feb. 9 sentencing hearing. Both are eligible for probation, but each could also be sent to prison for two to 3.5 years.
Dave Hawkins
