Cheyenne Transient Charged With Felony After K-9 Sniffs Out Meth

A 43-year-old Cheyenne transient is facing a felony charge after police reportedly caught him with methamphetamine.

According to a booking sheet, police responded to the area of Livingston Avenue and Campstool Road near Walmart at 10:11 p.m. on Friday, June 21 for a Kia Soul that was stopped at the traffic light.

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Police say there was no vehicle at the traffic light when they arrived, however, there was a Kia Soul parked on the shoulder of the public roadway in front of Walmart.

Police say Steven Ray Dooley Jr. was sitting in the driver's seat, but when they turned their patrol vehicle around, he moved to the passenger's seat. Police then contacted him outside of the vehicle.

Police: Dooley Appeared Nervous, Said Girlfriend's Vehicle Ran Out of Gas

Police say Dooley appeared nervous and told them his girlfriend's vehicle had run out of gas and he was just waiting for her to return from Walmart.

Officers then broke contact with Dooley, at which time Officer Sweet and his K-9 partner, Dutch, responded to the scene.

Police say when they went back to the vehicle to recontact Dooley, they noticed that Dooley had hung a sign in the window to panhandle for gas, a violation of city ordinance.

K-9 Sniff Leads to Meth, Felony Drug Charge

Dutch then conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle and alerted on the driver's side.

When officers searched the vehicle, they reportedly found a small purple jewelry bag in a dashboard compartment that contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine.

Two syringes were also reportedly found in the center console, one of which was loaded with a clear liquid suspected to be methamphetamine.

Dooley was arrested and taken to the Laramie County Detention Center without incident.

Dooley was later charged with possession of a controlled substance - third or subsequent offense, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, up to a $5,000 fine, or both.

He made his initial appearance in Laramie County Circuit Court on Monday morning, June 24, during which his bond was set at $3,000 at 10% and his preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 1 at 10:00 a.m.