Witness in Watkins murder arrested in Carson City

One of the witnesses involved in the 2016 murder of a Carson City teen was arrested Friday on trafficking charges.

Johnny Escobar-Carrillo, 22, of Dayton, was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, felony possession of a controlled substance, felony trafficking, possession of drug paraphernalia and expired registration after deputies responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle near Lone Mountain Drive and Winnie Lane.

Escobar was involved in the murder of 18-year-old Grant Watkins in 2016. Watkins and Escobar had gone to Blackwell Pond Park around midnight to sell three ounces of marijuana to a number of individuals when Watkins was shot and killed.

Deputies responded to Lone Mountain Drive at 8:15 p.m. Friday after a citizen reported a vehicle filled with males was sitting on the street and had odors of drugs coming from it.

Also arrested on scene were Troy Strand, 56, of Carson City, for suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription and two counts of violation of bail conditions; Kevin Cox, 24, of Carson City, on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia; and Christopher Wilson, 24, of Carson City, on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, felony possession of a controlled substance, felony trafficking, felony parole and probation violation, possession of drug paraphernalia, violation of a suspended sentence, and destroying or concealing evidence.

Upon inventory of the vehicle, deputies located a scale, torch, multiple plastic baggies, scissors, paper ruler, prescription bottles with pills, glass pipes, hypodermic needles, a spoon with drug residue and other paraphernalia items. They also located several baggies of methamphetamine weighing a total of eight grams. Bail for Escobar-Carrillo was set at $28,500, bail for Strand was set at $13,500, bail for Cox was set at $10,000 and bail for Wilson was set at $33,500.