James L. Ash, Jr. , 58, former president of Sierra Nevada College, is due for arraignment this morning in Sparks Justice Court on suspicion of drug trafficking.
Sparks police officers arrested Ash and a companion, 18-year-old Travis J. Lewis, at the Western Village Inn & Casino on July 9 after finding drugs and paraphernalia in a van used by Sierra Nevada College.
Ash posted nearly $22,000 bail, and as of July 11, he officially resigned as president of the college. Ash is pleading innocent to the charges, according to attorney Kelly Freeman of Skinner, Watson & Rounds in Reno.