McKinney mom sentenced to 35 years after pleading guilty to drug charges
MCKINNEY — A 37-year-old McKinney mom with a "lengthy criminal history" was sentenced to 35 years after pleading guilty to drug charges.
During a clandestine drug investigation in McKinney on May 30, 2023, Detective Joe Arp of the McKinney Police Department saw a car approaching a known suspect and engage in a hand-to-hand drug transaction.
Following the car as it left the parking lot, Arp noticed a traffic violation a few blocks later, and so radioed another officer to continue following the suspect car.
Officer Cary Wittwer picked up a strong marijuana smell as soon as he got close to the suspect car, in which Monica Gonzales was riding.
From inside the vehicle, Gonzales handed another officer a tiny baggie containing marijuana. Wittwer then removed Gonzales from the car and asked if she was carrying any other drugs. She reached up the leg of her shorts and pulled out two bags of methamphetamine.
The methamphetamine weighed 34.9 grams in total, not a "personal use" quantity, as Plano Police Department Narcotics Detective David Farrington testified. Gonzales had more than 170 doses of methamphetamine with her at the time, court documents say. The recommended daily dosage is 0.2 grams.
Gonzales' history with law enforcement dating back to 2006 was revealed during the trial. She was also convicted of drug possession and dealing twice before, in 2016 and 2020. In his testimony, Wittwer described a meeting he had with Gonzales just two weeks before the May 30 arrest. Gonzales and her 15-year-old son were in a car with two other people when Wittwer initiated a traffic stop. He said he smelled marijuana right away. During a probable cause search, Wittwer found 52 grams of methamphetamine concealed in several baggies hidden in different areas of Gonzales' pants and boots.
"We've seen this before: a repeat offender who hasn't changed despite multiple prison sentences. Now, it seems she's passing these harmful habits to her son, or at the very least, not protecting him from this destructive path. Rest assured, my office will not back down. We're committed to clear our streets of harmful influences," District Attorney Greg Willis said after sentencing.