Sheriffs arrest four Saturday in drug busts

IAN SMAY, Evergreen reporter

Whitman County Sheriff deputies arrested four people in two separate incidents for possession of controlled substances and prostitution Saturday.

The first traffic stop occurred at about 9 p.m. Saturday when deputies pulled over 27-year-old Tyson Van Dinter of Spokane for speeding on State Route 195 outside of Colfax, according to a news release by Whitman County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Michael Jordan.

Van Dinter said he had used a controlled substance and there may have been a small amount of heroin in the car, the release stated. The officers used this to apply for and receive a search warrant, which resulted in the discovery of heroin in the car.

Officers also found additional heroin and methamphetamine belonging to 30-year-old Jennifer Sederstrom of Spokane, a passenger in the vehicle, according to the news release. Sederstrom admitted to the deputies that the drugs belonged to her and that she was in the area with the intentions of offering services as a prostitute. Another unnamed passenger was also arrested on a misdemeanor warrant for theft in Spokane County.

Van Dinter was charged with possession of a controlled substance for the heroin, while Sederstrom received charges of possession of a controlled substance for both heroin and methamphetamine and an additional charge of prostitution, the release stated.

Later that evening, another traffic stop resulted in an arrest when deputies stopped 38-year-old Jake A. Kaufman of Superior, Montana, for failing to come to a halt at a stop sign in Colfax, according to the news release. While speaking with Kaufman, deputies learned his license was suspended and there was a possibility he had methamphetamine with him.

After receiving a search warrant for the vehicle, deputies found approximately one ounce of methamphetamine and paraphernalia, including scales and packaging materials, the release stated. Kaufman then admitted he had intended to distribute the drug in Whitman County, after which he was charged with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver.

All four individuals arrested will make appearances in Whitman County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon, according to the news release.