NOVEMBER 25, 2024|
Photo – Booking photo of Deseree Martinez – Courtesy CCSO
A Rawlins UPS worker is accused of stealing drugs from police shipments, along with other items, while on the job.
Deseree Ann Martinez, 32-years-old, was arrested on November 12th and charged with five crimes stemming from a six-month long Laramie Police Department investigation.
Court documents show that on May 7th of this year, Laramie Police Officer Craig Lenhardt was assigned to investigate evidence missing from the Rawlins Police Department.
According to Officer Lenhardt’s written affidavit, the Rawlins Police Department sent evidence to the Wyoming State Crime Lab via UPS on April 9th. The shipment, containing marijuana, was empty when it was received by the state crime lab in Cheyenne.
Officer Lenhardt stated that one week later, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office also sent a box of evidence to the state crime lab. When the package arrived in Cheyenne, it was unsealed, and the evidence, a DUI blood kit and a small amount of cocaine, was missing.
A member of the sheriff’s department told Officer Lenhardt that marijuana in the same shipment was present, surprisingly.
Two other packages containing methamphetamine and fentanyl pills were also tampered with during transit. When they arrived in Cheyenne, the drugs were absent.
Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward provided Officer Lenhardt with a list of employees who handled the evidence before it was shipped to Cheyenne. The Laramie police officer interviewed the employees and discovered that the evidence boxes were often taken to RP Lumber, a nearby UPS drop-off site. The boxes were given to an RP Lumber employee and kept behind the counter while awaiting pickup. While the contents of the shipments were never disclosed, a Rawlins PD employee admitted that marijuana could often be smelled coming from the boxes. However, until recently, the evidence always made its way to the state crime lab.
Continuing his investigation, Officer Lenhardt created a fake evidence box containing a camera.
The officer gave the package to the Rawlins Police Department and asked that it be handled in the same way as an authentic evidence box. Officer Lenhardt reviewed the camera footage but did not see anyone tampering with the package.
Next, Officer Lenhardt had the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office do the same thing. Although the included camera showed no signs of tampering, the Wyoming State Crime Lab informed the Laramie police officer that the tape on the box had been cut, but nothing was missing.
In his written affidavit, Officer Lenhardt states that he sent the cut tape to the state crime lab for analysis, where two fingerprints matching Rawlins UPS employee Deseree Martinez were discovered. Rawlins Police Lieutenant Daria Hooper informed Officer Lenhardt that Martinez had been interviewed about a stolen phone and smart watch in February. The items were still in possession of the Rawlins Police Department.
Officer Lenhardt wrote that he sent the box containing those items to the Wyoming State Crime Lab and found two fingerprints from Martinez.
The UPS worker was interviewed on Tuesday, November 12th, and explained that her fingerprints were on the two boxes because she handles nearly every package that passes through the Rawlins facility. Officer Lenhardt stated that Martinez denied taking anything from the packages. Despite her claims of innocence, Martinez was arrested and charged with theft and interference.
At the same time, Laramie Police Officer Miles Cushman was searching the suspect’s home, located on South Jeffers Drive, in Rawlins. Officer Cushman informed Lenhardt that multiple boxes not addressed to Martinez were found in the residence.
Among the items Officer Cushman reported finding in the suspect’s house were a VR headset, allegedly stolen while in transit to another Rawlins resident, approximately five grams of cocaine, and 351 grams of marijuana. Additionally, Officer Cushman noted that various new electronics were found in the suspect’s home, including expensive computers, headphones, tablets, and cell phones.
The Laramie police officers discovered 73 different packages in Martinez’s house. Many of the packages were tracked back to the owners, all who told investigators that they had never received their shipments.
Carbon County Prosecutor Sarah Chavez Harkins has charged Martinez with one count of theft of more than $1,000, two charges of interference with a peace officer, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, one for cocaine and the other for marijuana. Martinez posted her $12,000 bond and is free while awaiting a preliminary hearing in Carbon County Circuit Court on December 3rd.
