News

Mountain Home couple charged with dealing meth

Mance Lee Ruvolo

By Bill Moss, Published: February 2, 2018

A Mountain Home couple was charged with dealing methamphetamine after a traffic approach in Polk County during which they acted nervous and evasive, the Polk County sheriff's office said.

Polk County sheriff's deputies encountered a suspicious vehicle on N.C. 108 just east of Columbus on Thursday. The officers approached the vehicle and made contact with the occupants after it had stopped in a convenience store in the area. Upon making contact the officers quickly became suspicious of the occupants due to their nervous and evasive behavior. A sheriff's office K9 was used to perform a sniff search of the vehicle and alerted to the presence of contraband. A search of the vehicle revealed methamphetamine and associated paraphernalia used to distribute methamphetamine along with a handgun. The handgun was determined to be reported stolen from Florida.

Both occupants were arrested at the scene and charged with the following:

Mance Lee Ruvolo , 39, of 136 Sweetpea Lane, was charged with:

• Possession with the intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine
• Maintaining a vehicle to keep a controlled substance
• Possessing a stolen firearm
• Providing fictitious information to an officer
• Driving while license revoked
• Possessing drug paraphernalia

He was  jailed under a $25,000 bond.

Mariah Gail EllisAlso arrested was Mariah Gail Ellis, 22, of the same address. She was charged with:

• Possession with the intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine
• Maintaining a vehicle to keep a controlled substance
• Possessing a stolen firearm
• Providing fictitious information to an officer
• Possessing of drug paraphernalia

She was jailed under a $22,000 bond.