South Lake Tahoe, CA – On Monday morning, March 25^th, 2013, Officer Travis Cabral was conducting an investigation related to 29-year-old Ryan Marino, an ex-felon and member of the local Brotherhood Motorcycle Club, trafficking in methamphetamine.  From prior contacts with the police, Marino is known to possess weapons concealed on his person.  Officer Cabral witnessed Marino purchase methamphetamine in the parking lot of a business in the area of the “Y” (the intersection of Hwy 50 and Hwy 89 in South Lake Tahoe).   Ryan Marino was wearing his Brotherhood motorcycle vest during the transaction.  He rode away from the drug transaction on his unregistered motorcycle.  Officer Cabral initiated a traffic stop of Marino’s motorcycle.  Marino stopped in front of his residence at 1845 10^th Street, where other people were inside.

Officer Cabral saw a fixed blade hunting type knife under Marino’s arm, affixed to his vest.  Officer Cabral secured this weapon and frisked Marino for any additional weapons.  During this search, Officer Cabral located hypodermic syringes inside Marino’s vest.  Next to the needles were clear plastic packages of methamphetamine of about a half ounce each.  Marino was arrested.  Assisting officers arrived and obtained a search warrant for Marino’s residence.  In the room Ryan Marino shares with his 37-year-old girlfriend, Shaleen Pierson, officers located, a sawed off shotgun, 12 gauge shotgun ammunition, a flare pistol and paraphernalia used to package illicit drugs for sale.  After the illegal items were found inside her room, Shaleen Pierson who was present at the time, was also arrested.  Both were charged with maintaining a residence to sell controlled substances, as well as a variety of drug and weapons offenses.

The investigation is continuing and additional arrests may be forthcoming.  The business parking lot, where the witnessed drug transaction took place, does not appear to be related to any criminal activity per se, and so the business remains unidentified in this release.  Upon any potential conviction of Ryan Marino and Shaleen Pierson for these offenses, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department will be requesting the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office to pursue a sentencing enhancement against Ryan Marino and Shaleen Pierson for committing criminal offenses in the furtherance of a criminal street gang.

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