Mara McCutchen
(PCSD file photo)
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 20-year-old Perkins woman has been jailed on $200,000 bail on a charge of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute in Stillwater — two weeks after she was released from jail on $100,000 bail on charges of trafficking fentanyl and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
If convicted of all of her Stillwater charges on which she was scheduled to appear in court this week, Mara Michelle McCutchen could be given two life prison terms plus 15 years and fined $406,000.
In her newer case, McCutchen was arrested at 11:21 am on April 6 following a traffic stop in which Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy David Sloan’s K-9 partner alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in her maroon Nissan SUV, Stillwater Police Officer Ryan Sexton alleged in an affidavit filed last week.
The officer was in a marked Stillwater police car in the area of an apartment complex on S. Main Street known for illegal drug use and sales where McCutchen’s SUV pulled in, parked and continued running for about five minutes before leaving, an affidavit alleged.
“I am familiar with Mara due to her recent arrest for aggravated trafficking of illegal drugs and possession with intent to distribute on 2/23/2024. Mara was currently out on bond during the time of this arrest,” Officer Sexton wrote in his affidavit.
When the SUV was searched, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were allegedly located within the reach of McCutchen and her 18-year-old passenger, who was charged with misdemeanor drug possession, court records show.
“Due to not having a female officer on duty, I advised Mara that we would not be conducting a thorough search of her person on scene. I informed her that it would be a felony to conceal and bring any contraband into the jail.
“Mara told me that she did have an item in her bra,” before retrieving an item with numerous pieces of aluminum foil, each individually folded and containing a substance later found to be a blue pill imprinted M30 that is pressed fentanyl, the officer alleged in his affidavit.
At the city jail, “Mara informed me that she was a common user of methamphetamine. She said that she has used fentanyl in the past but did not like it and was not a current user. Mara advised that she was just holding these items for another individual,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
In her earlier case, McCutchen was driving a maroon Nissan SUV with her 4-year-old child in the back seat when Stillwater Police Officer Adam Elliott conducted a traffic stop at about 1 pm on Feb. 23, after two other officers drove through an apartment complex on N. Boomer Rd. where they saw a suspected drug transaction between an SUV driver and a man known to be involved in drug distribution, an affidavit alleged.
When the SUV stopped, “Mara admitted to just leaving the apartment complex, but was unable to tell me which apartment,” according to the officer, who searched her vehicle after his K9 Rotex indicated the presence of odor of drugs inside the vehicle, his affidavit alleged.
“Inside the vehicle, we located approximately 10.18 grams of fentanyl (pressed into blue pills marked M30), approximately 18 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales with drug residue, multiple unused zipper top baggies and additional items of drug paraphernalia,” Officer Elliott alleged in his affidavit.
After that arrest, “DHS was contacted while on scene and advised the child could be released to the father,” who arrived, the affidavit alleged. McCutchen was subsequently charged with an additional count of child neglect, court records show.
During a jail interview with McCutchen on Feb. 23, “She stated she does not use fentanyl, but has been selling it for approximately three weeks. She has been making trips to Oklahoma City to purchase the drugs, then brings them back to Stillwater to sell. She also claimed this is the first time she has done it with her child present,” the affidavit alleged.
