Elijah Meason is handcuffed by Cpl. Jay Eakins Thursday outside the Los Alamos Justice Center on an arrest warrant requested by Det. Ryan Wolking, left. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Police Sgt. Tim Lonz escorts Aleah Stahl of Los Alamos Thursday from Magistrate Court. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

A Los Alamos husband and wife were taken into custody by Los Alamos Police in separate cases Thursday at Los Alamos Magistrate Court.

Elijah Meason was arrested on new charges on his arrival at the Justice Center for a preliminary hearing before Judge Pat Casados. His wife Aleah Stahl was also arrested after admitting she had violated the conditions of release on a prior charge.

Meason, 28, was originally arrested by Det. Ryan Wolking in April and charged with forgery and fraud after he allegedly admitted to Wolking that he took a check without the victim’s knowledge and used it to purchase a Lego set at Smith’s Marketplace. Meason allegedly later returned the set for cash at the customer service booth. Loss prevention staff at Smith’s found it odd that Meason only had a single check rather than a checkbook, according to the report.

Meason was subsequently arrested on two more forgery charges and two more fraud charges after he allegedly took more checks from the same victim and used them to make purchases at Smith’s and Metzger’s Do It Best Hardware Store. In these instances he also allegedly returned the items for cash.

June 19, Wolking was made aware that the victim’s debit card had been used at three locations without her authorization. The victim filed paperwork with her bank indicating three fraudulent charges; one for $11.77 at McDonalds, one for $80 cash plus a $2.50 fee charge at an ATM in Los Alamos, and $200 plus a $2.99 fee at the Ohkay Owingeh Travel Center.

Wolking’s request for an arrest warrant indicates that the debit card was found in the victim’s mailbox after the bank had closed it. The request also indicates that video surveillance from McDonalds showed Meason and Stahl were present there but Meason allegedly used the debit card. Conditions of release on the prior three charges dictated that Meason not have any contact with the victim.

Meason was arrested and placed under arrest by Cpl. Jay Eakins in front of the Justice Center and taken to the Detention Center for booking Thursday before being brought to the Magistrate Court where he waived his three preliminary hearings.

Assistant District Attorney Kent Wahlquist indicated that there is a plea negotiation underway for the three original cases in First Judicial Court and Judge Casados ordered Meason held in custody pending his appearance in District Court.

Stahl, 36, present outside the Justice Center, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Judge Casados on charges shoplifting, tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance in connection with April 12 her arrest at Smith’s Marketplace. Stahl was allegedly observed by the store’s loss prevention manager selecting a phone charger and pencil case in the electronics aisle. Stahl then allegedly removed the charger from its plastic bag, took the inventory control tag off it and placed it in the pencil case.

On arrival at the Detention Center, Stahl was asked three times to give police and detention officers any contraband she was attempting to conceal on her person and allegedly admitted to having makeup hidden in her bra. Because she was allegedly fidgeting, had dry mouth, and was unable to answer direct questions, she was placed in a room and continually monitored. When Stahl changed into a jail uniform, a detention officer allegedly found a plastic bag containing a white crystal, grainy substance.

At court Thursday, Probation Officer Linda Pena told Judge Casados that Stahl had been unable to submit a urine sample as per her conditions of release, that she had observed fresh injection wounds and a couple of abscesses on her body as well as slurred speech. Pena said Stahl had admitted to shooting heroin before court.

Stahl eventually admitted in open court that she could not give a clean sample because she would test positive for opiates and THC, which is tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis that generates a euphoric high. Judge Casados remanded her to custody until she can give a clean sample. Upon her release, Stahl was ordered to undergo drug testing twice a week through the Probation Office.

Stahl was escorted to the Police Department by Sgt. Tim Lonz. Following a drug recognition expert examination by Sgt. Monica Salazar, she was escorted to the Detention Center by Cpl. Jaime Gonzales. A statement of probable cause filed by Gonzales said that during the inventory of her property, he found a Suboxone strip along with two packs of cotton balls, which he said are used during the cooking process in drug use. Stahl was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Stahl was arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty to the new charges. She is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing Aug. 27.