A 36-year-old Washington-state man faces felony drug and weapons charges — in addition to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor — after law enforcement conducted a warrant search of a West End hotel room on Thursday.
Ryan K. McKinney, of Renton, Washington, is charged with one count each of first-degree and second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance; two counts of second-degree misconduct with weapons, the Class A misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to an affidavit filed by law enforcement in support of the criminal complaint against McKinney, Alaska State Troopers and Ketchikan Police Department personnel went to the hotel to serve warrants authorizing searches of McKinney and the hotel room as part of an ongoing investigation.
Inside the room were McKinney and an unclothed 16-year-old girl, according to the affidavit. The girl was able to put some clothes on and allegedly told an officer that she had received methamphetamine and fentanyl from McKinney.
McKinney was escorted into the hallway and was advised of his Miranda rights before he agreed to talk with officers, according to the affidavit.
McKinney allegedly told officers that he was from Renton and had come up to Ketchikan a couple of times previously, according to the affidavit. He allegedly said that the girl was his cousin, but then said she wasn’t his cousin but somebody he’d known for a long time. He said that there shouldn’t be any drugs in the hotel room but he’d been out all night and when he’d returned, he’d found other people in the room whom he had to kick out.
The search of the room located a backpack that contained two loaded handguns, both of which had a round in the chamber and manual safeties in the “fire” position, according to the affidavit. The backpack also contained two rolls of cash, totaling $1,902.
The search also allegedly located “narcotic-related paraphernalia,” including burnt tin foil, syringes, used and fresh ‘dime baggies,” an electronic scale, and glass pipes with a white residue that field tested positive for meth, according to the affidavit.
McKinney at first said he didn’t know there were any guns in the room, but later allegedly said that he’d received one of the guns as collateral for “a ‘front’ of 25 fentanyl pills,” and that the other gun was left in the room by another individual, according to the affidavit.
He allegedly told the officers that he has been bringing fentanyl pills to Ketchikan, 1,000 pills at a time, and selling them for about $30 per pill, according to the affidavit. He allegedly said that he’d sold all of the pills already, and that the cash was from the proceeds of the pill sales. McKinney allegedly said that more than half the money belonged to an uncle who had given McKinney the pills to bring to Ketchikan.
McKinney allegedly said that he would never give the 16-year-old any pills because she is a child, but that he knows she has received drugs that he has sold, according to the affidavit.
The charge of first-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance — which is an unclassified felony with a potential penalty of between five and 99 years — stems from the allegation that McKinney delivered a Schedule 1A controlled substance to a person who is under the age of 19 and at least three years younger than the person who is delivering the substance, according to a court document in the case.
McKinney’s first felony appearance was Friday morning in Ketchikan District Court.
District Court Judge Kristian Pickrell set McKinney’s bail at a $100,000 appearance bond (10% cash/90% unsecured) and a $50,000 cash performance bond.
McKinney’s next court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday in Ketchikan District Court.