• News tips, submissions
• Questions, comments
• Contact webmaster

• Man found guilty of manufacturing marijuana
• Pierce County man pleads guilty to drug charge

By Jason Schulte, RiverTowns staff

Mario Cuevas-Alvarez called it a dumb act. A jury panel of nine women and three men Friday called it another thing-a Class E felony.

That panel took about an hour in Pierce County Circuit Court to find Cuevas-Alvarez, 31, guilty of manufacturing/delivering marijuana.

Alvarez was charged relating to an incident last November, when Pierce County Sheriff's Department Investigators found him in a wooded area in the Town of Salem surrounded by a large amount of marijuana plants in various stages of being processed.

"He didn't have to go there," said Pierce County District Attorney John O'Boyle. "If he was so concerned about his children, why did he go there?"

Alvarez will be sentenced at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, for the crime.

For more please read the June 10 print version of the Herald.

By Jason Schulte, RiverTowns staff

A county man pled guilty Monday in Pierce County Circuit Court to maintaining a drug trafficking place.

Jamie N. Tri, 28, Hager City, pled guilty to the Class I felony as part of a plea agreement. He was originally charged with possessing drug paraphernalia, possession of controlled substance, methamphetamine, and possess drug paraphernalia to manufacture meth in presence of a child in relation to an incident last February.

Besides the drug trafficking charge, the possession of methamphetamine and manufacture meth in presence of a child were felonies. He will be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. Monday, July 27.

Incident

According to the criminal complaint, Pierce County sheriff's deputies and Investigators arrived at Tri's house in Hager City for a search warrant on Feb. 27. Upon entrance, investigators found Tri and asked if Mark Butler and Melissa Schlichting escaped out the back window. Tri said yes. Both were eventually found and arrested (Butler and Schlichting were charged with multiple crimes in relation to the incident and both cases are currently going through the court process.)

For more please read the June 10 print version of the Pierce County Herald.