On Thursday and Friday, preliminary hearings were set for Robert Cross and Corinthia Morningstar Begay, who were arrested in Cortez on Wednesday, Dec. 27 after being found in possession of illegal drugs.
Cross was given a preliminary hearing date of Thursday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m., while Begay will have her preliminary hearing on Friday, Feb. 9 at 10 a.m.
On Friday, Begay appeared before Chief Judge Todd Plewe in 22nd Judicial District Court for her return filing of charges and to address bond.
According to Begay’s attorney, Richard Sims, Begay requires dialysis on a regular basis because of kidneys problems, and that her need for dialysis had been confirmed with her mother.
He said she hasn’t been able to go to dialysis while in jail.
He requested a PR bond, noting that her current bond of $20,000 was too steep for her or her mother to pay.
Upon further investigation by Plewe and information provided by the DA’s office, Begay also has two pending felonies in La Plata County with a $10,000 bond for each felony.
“She’s not getting out of jail anytime soon,” Plewe said, noting that the bonds she has from La Plata County are high bonds for that particular county.
Begay tried to speak to Plewe, saying that she had two children, but Plewe said that the bond was appropriate and set her preliminary hearing for February.
When Cross and Begay were arrested in December, they were pulled over for reckless driving before being found to be driving a stolen vehicle.
At first, Begay allegedly gave a fake identity to police before revealing her true identity. Both Cross and Begay were arrested on outstanding warrants and taken into custody.
Powdered drugs were found hidden on Begay’s person later in the hospital, and she tested positive to having cocaine and meth in her system.
In the vehicle, police found meth, illegal narcotics and heroin, as well as a knife in a scabbard and a BB gun that was modified to look like a real firearm.
The total weight of the drugs found in the pair’s car was 62 grams.
