On May 5, 2023, the Chaffee County Communications Center received information of a possible impaired driver who was observed swerving on U.S. Highway 50 in Poncha Springs.
The caller advised that the driver of the vehicle was stopped at a local business in Poncha Springs.
Deputies responded to the location and contacted the driver of the vehicle matching the description provided by the caller. After a brief investigation the driver was arrested for suspected DUI, and further investigation revealed that the driver was in possession of illegal narcotics.
The suspect was identified as Misty M. Rusch a 48-year-old female from Pagosa Springs. Rusch was found to be in possession of 19 grams, over 275 pills, of Fentanyl, 2 grams of Methamphetamine and a large sum of U.S. Currency.
Rusch was booked into the Chaffee County Detention Facility and charged with:
- Unlawful Distribution of a Controlled Substance-Fentanyl, a Class 2 Felony
- Possession of a Controlled Substance, Drug Felony 4
- DUI and DUID
Rusch is being held on a $10,000 cash only bond.
