Drug Charges Levied Against 2 Men At Fredericksburg Hotel: Sheriff

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A Stafford County Sheriff's deputy patrolling a Fredericksburg hotel Sunday night arrested two Stafford men on drug-related charges, according to authorities.

Around 9:25 p.m., the deputy was at the America's Best Value in at 605 Warrenton Road when he noticed a man sitting in a Honda, according to the incident report.

The deputy approached the man, who appeared to be showing signs of being under the influence. The man, identified as 39-year-old Rene Lopez Echeverria, told the deputy that he was waiting for a friend who had just gone to a nearby store, according to the sheriff's office.

Noticing what appeared to be a suspected controlled substance on the Honda's floorboard, the deputy asked permission to search the vehicle to which Echeverria consented, according to the sheriff's office. During the search, the deputy recovered additional suspected controlled substances.

By this time, Echeverria's friend, identified as 31-year-old Villanueva Lopez, had returned and he also appeared to be intoxicated. After Lopez admitted to consuming "six beers," he gave permission to the deputy to search his wallet. When the deputy opened the wallet, a cloud of white powder puffed into the air, according to the incident report.

The deputy arrested Echeverria and Lopez, who were charged with public intoxication and possession of controlled substances. They were then taken to the Rappahannock Regional Jail, where they each were held on $3,500 secured bonds.

Both Echeverria and Lopez were arraigned in Stafford General District Court on Monday morning and a preliminary hearings for each of them were set for Oct. 16, according to court records

If Echeverria and Lopez are each found guilty on the possessiion of schedule 1 or schedule 2 drugs charge, which is a Class 5 felony, they could face a sentence of one to 10 years in jail, under the Code of Virginia.

On the public intoxication charge, which is a Class 4 misdemeanor, Echeverria and Lopez could each be fined up to $250, according to Virginia law.