A Superior woman is facing multiple charges after her 15-year-old son discharged a weapon in the city's East End neighborhood June 21.
Cynthia Kay Faria-Wells, 52, faces felony charges of party to delivery of counterfeit schedule I drugs, contributing to the delinquency of a child and providing a dangerous weapon to a person younger than 18. She also faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer.
According to the 10-page criminal complaint, Faria-Wells allegedly drove her son to the drug deal in which spices replaced what was expected to be a half-pound of marijuana, valued at about $1,000.
The complaint states the weapon was discharged by the teen to disperse a crowd that gathered outside his home after the people allegedly ripped off in the phony drug deal attempted to confront the teen.
Superior police were called to the area of 26th Avenue East and Sixth Street on June 21 to respond to a report of shots fired. Following the gunshot, six people were seen running between houses, according to a news release issued by the Superior Police Department after the incident.
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The six were detained following a traffic stop at Grand Avenue and U.S. Highway 53.
According to the criminal complaint:
In the investigation that followed, Superior police detectives determined that Faria-Wells had driven her son to make the exchange with the six individuals detained, ages 15-19, who expected to buy the marijuana for $1,000.
The female who made the exchange told police that Faria-Wells' son, identified as J.F. in the criminal complaint, grabbed all the money and gave her a backpack. When she got back in the car they had arrived in, she discovered a spice, not marijuana, in the backpack.
A subsequent police test of the substance was inconclusive.
Two males got mad and tried to catch up to the van driven by Faria-Wells.
Faria-Wells told police that she didn't know what was in the backpack and denied that she knew it was a drug deal when she gave her son a ride.
However, when pressed about the money, she initially denied knowledge of where the money was, but later walked with Detective Mike Jaszczak to the van where "most of the money" was.
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Jaszczak later counted the cash, $1,180.
Faria-Wells made an initial appearance on the charges last week and is free on $5,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing on the felony charges is set for Wednesday.
