HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A man and a woman allegedly were found to have almost 50 grams of methamphetamine during a routine traffic stop.
About 11:31 p.m. Thursday, Corina Jamel Taitingfong, 28, and Clayton Jay Pangelinan Taitingfong, 40, were pulled over during a routine traffic stop made by two officers with the Guam Police Department, according to a magistrate’s complaint.
According to police, Corina Taitingfong allegedly did not have a valid driver’s license after she pulled her license out of a purse that she subsequently placed in the back of the car. Clayton Taitingfong sat in the front passenger seat.
The complaint stated the two police officers then called GPD dispatch and learned the 2017 Toyota RAV4 the pair were in was stolen, and Corina and Clayton Taitingfong subsequently exited the vehicle upon being instructed by officers.
Both defendants were observed to be grinding their teeth, fidgeting, darting their eyes in a fast manner and moving around in their seats, according to the complaint. Corina Taitingfong then said the purse belonged to her and consented to a search, which resulted in officers finding a knife and a beige pouch which contained two resealable bags of meth, a straw and a scraping tool, according to the complaint.
A backpack was found on the front passenger seat. Both Corina and Clayton Taitingfong denied owning it, but consented to a search.
According to the complaint, inside the bag police found a firearm with a round chambered, a clear resealable bag containing methamphetamine and another bag which had smaller resealable bags containing methamphetamine.
During the search, Clayton Taitingfong continued to fidget and jerk his arms toward the front of the car before officers found a blue soft case underneath the car, which was directly under the spot where Clayton Taitingfong was allegedly jerking his arms. Inside the case, an officer found two clear sandwich bags and a smaller clear resealable bag which contained methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
Clayton Taitingfong was subsequently arrested after a large sum of money was found in his wallet.
The substances found weighed 46.96 grams, according to the complaint. The firearm was discovered not to be registered and neither of the defendants had a valid firearms ID card, the complaint stated.
Both were charged with possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, possession of a firearm without a firearms ID card and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Corina Taitingfong also was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a valid license as a violation.
Clayton Pangelinan Taitingfong
