Austin man faces more meth charges

Published 6:48 am Tuesday, May 22, 2012

One of three people arrested Thursday with alleged ties to methamphetamine was charged and appeared in court Monday on another meth-related charge.

James Hutchinson, 30, of Austin, was charged with introducing contraband to a jail, obstructing the legal process and possession of marijuana. The first two charges are gross misdemeanors. Hutchinson also pleaded guilty April 19 to storing meth in the presence of a child, a felony.

When police took Hutchinson and the woman he was with to jail on Thursday, they later found Hutchinson hiding marijuana, according to the court complaint.

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Police arrested Hutchinson — who was wanted on a warrant — after they saw him in the 800 block of Eighth Street SW. Hutchinson and the woman, Maria Sanchez, 19, allegedly ducked into the house without the owner’s permission. Police searched the home and found them. Police found marijuana on a shelf and a pipe and meth in Sanchez’s purse, according to the complaint. The complaint adds that a room in the house contained four marijuana pipes, a small amount of marijuana, a meth pipe, straws and plastic bags.

Hutchinson’s next court date is set for May 31. Sanchez has not yet had her initial appearance.