Police: Over 7 "8-Balls" of Meth Discovered During Traffic Stop

SAN ANGELO, TX — On Friday, Aug. 18, at 1:30 p.m., a San Angelo Police Department Motors Officer conducted a traffic stop on a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu in the 800 block of South Irving Street for expired vehicle registration.

The driver, identified as Mary J. Whitehouse, 35, had an expired driver’s license as well as outstanding warrants, to include a felony arrest warrant out of Schleicher County for manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance.  A passenger, identified as Jane Ramirez, 56, had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. 

Due to the nature of the warrant, the officer believed Whitehouse could potentially be in possession of contraband. 

Whitehouse was arrested for her warrant and the officer subsequently located suspected methamphetamine inside several small plastic jeweler-style bags that were inside Whitehouse’s purse.  The contents of the bags field-tested positive for a combined weight of approximately 26 grams of methamphetamine. The scale reading included the weight of the packaging.

According to ChrystalMethAddiction.org, on average, a ¼-gram of meth sells for $20. ½-gram of meth is $40, and one gram is $80.

A 16th (which is one gram plus 3/4 of a gram) is around $120.00 and an 8-ball is 3-1/2 grams and usually priced at around $200.00.

At 26 grams, the police discovery is equivalent to 7.42 8-balls, with a street value of $1,486.

Whitehouse was arrested for First Degree Felony Manufacture Delivery of Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 and her three warrants.  She was transported to the Tom Green County Jail where she is held on a $30,000 bond for the possession charge and another $1,900 for the Schleicher County warrants for having no vehicle insurance and an expired driver's license. There is also a motion to revoke her probation for a similar charge for possession of a controlled substance in Schleicher County. 

Passenger Ramirez was released from the scene on a personal recognizance bond.