(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Perkins woman was charged with possessing methamphetamine at the Cimarron Casino in Perkins following her arrest by Iowa Tribal Officer Chris Tillman on July 4. Ashley Ray Duke, 30, was arraigned from the Payne County Jail before being released on $7,500 bail with an order to appear in court on Aug. 10, court records show.
The Iowa tribal officer was dispatched about 2 a.m. on July 4 to investigate a report that drugs had been found on the casino floor, according to his affidavit.
On surveillance video, Tillman alleged in his affidavit, “I observed Ashley playing a slot machine, then reach into her purse and pull something out with her hand. As she turned to her left, the baggy containing the white crystal-like substance fell out of her hand onto the floor of the casino.”
An employee saw the baggy on the floor and notified a security officer, who then contacted the Iowa Tribe Police Department, the affidavit said.
When the Iowa tribal officer talked to Duke outside the casino, “I showed Ashley the baggy that the security officers found on the floor and asked her if she knew anything about it, and she replied no.
“I informed her there was video surveillance showing the baggy drop out of her hand and she replied, ‘it’s not mine.’
“I informed her at this time I was placing her under arrest,” Tillman wrote in his affidavit.
If convicted of possessing methamphetamine, Duke could be given a prison sentence of two to 10 years and fined $5,000, according to the felony charge filed by Payne County First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Etherington last week.
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