A Mountain Home man appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison with seven suspended after pleading guilty to charges stemming from four arrests in the span of less than six months.
Thirty-three-year-old Donald Kenneth Ricci was involved in multiple traffic stops and a traffic accident in which police reported discovering weapons and a large quantity of drugs, including Fentanyl and methamphetamine, in his vehicles.
The charges against Ricci included simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms as well as trafficking methamphetamine and Fentanyl.
The trafficking and simultaneous possession charges are all Class Y felonies, the most serious criminal classification in Arkansas not punishable by death.
Ricci was first found in simultaneous possession of drugs and guns following a two-vehicle crash along State Highway 201 North in early March.
Ricci and the other driver were taken to Baxter Health. An Arkansas State Trooper interviewed Ricci at the hospital as part of his investigation into the accident.
A relative of Ricci’s told the trooper there was a firearm in the 2017 Toyota Corolla and asked that the wrecker driver called to the scene check for the weapon.
The wrecker driver found the weapon but also saw what he thought might be illegal drugs. His suspicions were reported to officers and a search warrant was obtained on March 14.
The search turned up a substance testing positive for Fentynal, a small quantity of marijuana, a bottle of pills identified as Xanax, items of drug paraphernalia, a hypodermic needle with an unknown clear substance and three weapons – two handguns and a .22-caliber rifle.
On June 18, a vehicle being driven by Ricci was stopped for minor traffic infractions by a Mountain Home police officer.
The officer reported Ricci was “extremely nervous to the point he was shaking” as he attempted to locate his drivers license, registration and proof of insurance.
Another Mountain Home officer had his K-9 do a “free air sniff” and the dog alerted on the vehicle.
During a search of the maroon Toyota, a small pistol and two sets of brass knuckles were found along with almost 370 grams of methamphetamine 19.1 grams of Fentynal, 2.4 grams of cocaine, 52 grams of marijuana, 3.3 grams of black tar heroin and 81 grams of “an unknown substance.”
In addition, almost $1,360 in cash was located.
On August 13, Ricci was pulled over on State Highway 5 North for a turn signal violation by a Mountain Home police officer on routine patrol.
As with other interactions with law enforcement, Ricci was reported to be “extremely nervous.” When asked if there was anything illegal in the car, Ricci is reported to have responded there was a quantity of “personal use marijuana” in the vehicle.
A drug dog was brought to the scene and alerted on the driver’s side door.
When the vehicle was searched, suspected Fentynal was found, along with heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana.
On September 4, A Mountain Home police officer spotted Ricci who had two active felony revocation warrants.
The officer followed Ricci into the parking lot of a Mountain Home business.
After Ricci left his vehicle, he was arrested and cuffed on the outstanding warrants.
A drug dog was brought to the scene and alerted on the vehicle. A search turned up a total of almost 170 grams of methamphetamine, 26 capsules of suspected Fentynal, a digital scale and a container of marijuana wax.
In addition, almost $1,300 in cash was seized.
Mountain Home attorney Paul Bayless represents Ricci. A bond of $100,000 was set after the latest arrest.
The cash and weapons were forfeited to the state.
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