BRANDON, SD - A woman who once spoke out against the dangers of drunk driving is now charged with having meth in her Brandon home. Over the weekend police arrested three adults and a juvenile during a drug bust in Brandon.
Tuesday police arrested a fourth adult. Forty seven year old Rhonda Stoddard owned a house where police believe she allowed minors to buy, sell, and use drugs. Stoddard lost her husband to a drunk driver nearly nine years ago and has spoken out against drunk driving in the past, but now finds herself on the other side of the law.
Stoddard is charged with having meth and marijuana in her Brandon home as well as six counts of contributing to the deliquency of minors. Court papers say police have been called to her home a half dozen times over the last six months for disorderly juveniles, narcotics violations and complaints of underage drinking.
"You are putting yourself in danger but you are putting other people in danger too, it doesn't just affect your life. It affects lots of other people's lives," Stoddard said in a February 2002 interview with KELOLAND News.
Back in February of 2002 Stoddard spoke in support of a law that lowered the legal limit for drunk driving in South Dakota from 0.10 to 0.08.
"I hope it makes people stop and think, you know about drinking and driving but I'm afraid in a lot of cases it won't matter," Stoddard said in that 2002 interview.
Stoddard is now accused of several drug-related crimes after a bust at her home. Court papers say after receiving complaints over the last several months about teens drinking and doing drugs at her home they decided to dig deeper.
Investigators started earlier this month by pulling three garbage bags from her home. Inside the bags they found a broken glass pipe and a small straw with meth residue on it.
Just last week a business within walking distance of Stoddard's home complained of someone illegally dumping trash in their dumpster. Police searched ten bags and found mail from Stoddard's home along with stems and buds from marijuana plants.
When police carried out a search warrant on Stoddard's home over the weekend they found nine people inside, including six teens. One was a Brandon Valley High School senior who admitted he had been selling marijuana out of Stoddard's home.
In Stoddard's room the police found several snort tubes and baggies full of meth.
When investigators called Stoddard about what they found, court papers say she never denied having it.
Now, a woman who supported tightening South Dakota's drunk driving laws is the one facing serious drug charges and up to 15 years in prison.
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=97311
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