Felony charges were filed Tuesday, Dec. 26, against a probationer and his girlfriend who are accused of dealing drugs out of a Riverside home and using a drone to deliver the contraband to customers.
Benjamin Paul Baldassarre, 39, and Ashley Lauren Carroll, 31, were arrested Thursday following an undercover Riverside police investigation into possible illegal activity at Baldassarre’s residence in the Orangecrest area of the city.
Along with three counts of possession of controlled substances for sale, the couple is charged with child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Carroll pleaded not guilty to all charges during her arraignment Tuesday afternoon and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. Baldassarre’s arraignment was rescheduled to Wednesday.
Investigators were alerted earlier this month to possible drug dealing out of a residence in the 8700 block of Chesapeake Lane. Riverside detectives began watching the house and saw a drone fly from the backyard and drop a package at a public parking area not far away, according to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback.
Several people were waiting for the drop and collected the contents, according to police. The activity prompted investigators to obtain a search warrant, which was served on Baldassarre and Carroll on Thursday morning, Railsback said.
Officers immediately requested assistance from the fire department’s hazardous materials team after locating “used and uncapped hypodermic syringes scattered throughout a bedroom,” Railsback said. Along with the biohazard, officers uncovered an undisclosed quantity of methamphetamine, as well as “unpackaged powders believed to contain fentanyl,” he said.
The defendants were taken into custody without incident.
Baldassarre’s 9-year-old daughter was removed from the residence and placed in the care of Riverside County Child Protective Services agents, who eventually released her to her mother, Railsback said.
According to court records, Baldassarre has prior misdemeanor convictions for driving under the influence of drugs and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
He and Carroll also are each charged in an unresolved drug-related case, records showed.
