O'Neill man bound over to district court on drug charges

Marcelino Ponce Covarrubias, also known as Marcelino Covarrubias Ponce, Marcelino Covarrubias and Marcelino C. Ponce, 58, of O’Neill filed a written waiver of his right to preliminary hearing. His attorney, Renee Mathias with the Berry Law Firm of Omaha, appeared in the Holt County courtroom in O’Neill on his behalf July 11, when the Honorable Kale Burdick bound Ponce Covarrubias over to Holt County district court.

He is set for district court arraignment Aug. 28, on three Class 2 felony counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance (methamphetamine), alleged April 25, May 4 and May 24, in O’Neill; one Class 4 felony, possession of a controlled substance (meth) and one infraction count, possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond filed June 9, in the amount of $50,000, 10% cash, is continued.

The O’Neill Police Department, with assistance from the Holt County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska State Patrol, executed a search warrant at Ponce Covarrubias’ residence June 8. According to an affidavit filed by an O’Neill officer, they discovered a usable quantity of meth and some unknown substances that were sent to the Nebraska State Patrol crime lab for identification, including approximately 12 grams of suspected meth in small packages. A digital scale and 10 cellular phones were also found during the search.