Suspicious package prompts investigation, lands St. George woman in jail

Composite image. Background stock photo with overlay photo by Ridofranz/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A suspicious package at a shipping service office has led to the arrest of a St. George woman, after officers opened the parcel and allegedly found what appeared to be illegal drugs.

Stock image | Photo by Ridofranz/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

On Monday, 42-year-old Tyson Tomaiko was arrested on second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

The investigation was initially launched in October when officers were dispatched to a report of a suspicious package at a shipping business on Sunset Boulevard in St. George.

Through the course of the investigation, officers learned that the package had been left at the business for mailing. Upon further inspection, officers discovered it contained a package of suspected methamphetamine, according to charging documents filed with the court.

The name of the sender was listed as Tomaiko, a resident of St. George, who reportedly told employees the package contained only plastic shopping bags she was sending to a friend.

After weeks of working the case, officers caught up with the suspect at her residence. She was initially arrested on two outstanding warrants, and once in custody, investigators asked her about the package they recovered Oct. 15.

Tomaiko said she did not know what was in the package, only that she was mailing it for a friend.

“This was in direct contrast to what she told the employees at the business when she initially mailed it,” the arrest report notes.

During a search of Tomaiko, officers allegedly found a ball of suspected heroin, which Tamaiko said she found while cleaning up her driveway earlier that morning.

Formal charges were filed the following day, which include the felony distribution charge, as well as two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one charge for paraphernalia, each a misdemeanor.

Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained.  

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact. 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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