Pubdate: Thu, 03 Aug 2000
Source: Saint Paul Pioneer Press (MN)
Copyright: 2000 St. Paul Pioneer Press
Contact:  345 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101
Website: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/
Forum: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/watercooler/
Author: Bill Gardner

DEPUTY'S WIFE FACING DRUG CHARGES

Ramsey County officer also investigated after allegations

Two St. Paul women, one the wife of a Ramsey County sheriff's deputy, were 
indicted Monday in California on federal charges of importing opium with 
the intent to distribute the drug.

The women, Tong Vang and Mao Lee, were arrested July 18 by U.S. Customs 
Service agents who found the suspected opium in the women's belongings 
after they arrived in Los Angeles on a Northwest Airlines flight from 
Bangkok, Thailand.

The suspected opium was found in lotion bottles, shampoo bottles and 
envelopes the women were carrying. Lee was accused of importing 3.9 
kilograms of opium, and Vang was accused of bringing in 3.2 kilograms.

When questioned during the arrest, Vang allegedly told agents, "They told 
me to tell you that I was bringing this stuff in for myself," according to 
the criminal complaint.

Acting on the arrest of Vang and other allegations, including an anonymous 
letter stating that Vang's husband, Ramsey County sheriff's deputy Wameng 
Yang, had made several trips to Thailand this year to bring back opium, St. 
Paul police searched Yang and Vang's home in the 400 block of Thomas Avenue 
on July 26.

St. Paul police have declined to say whether any evidence of opium 
distribution was discovered in the search. The investigation is continuing 
and has not yet been turned over to the county attorney for possible 
prosecution.

Yang, 39, is a guard at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center and 
remains on duty, Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Wednesday.

"I'm in the business of waiting until there is evidence in hand before 
incriminating any individual," Fletcher said. "At this point there is no 
evidence to warrant charging of Deputy Yang."

Fletcher said he understood that no opium was found in the home. Yang has 
been a deputy about five years, Fletcher said, and has no disciplinary 
incidents.

In connection with the search, a 13-year-old boy has been charged with 
assault in the second degree, said Peter Lindstrom, spokesman for the 
Ramsey County attorney's office. A trial date has been set for Sept. 21 in 
Juvenile Court. Additional details about the incident were not disclosed 
because the boy is a juvenile.

In another incident on July 18, Minnesota Gang Strike Force officers 
investigating a drive-by shooting found a car matching the description of 
the one used in the shooting parked behind Yang and Vang's home. When 
officers approached the vehicle, two teen-agers, later identified as the 
couple's sons, came out of the home.

One son allegedly pointed a .22-caliber rifle at the plainclothes officers 
and the other son had a pit bull on a leash, according to the affidavit for 
the July 26 search warrant.

One of the sons allegedly told the officers they would be shot if they 
approached the home again.

Deputy Yang also was at home, and the search warrant affidavit said, 
"Wameng Yang was extremely hostile towards the officers and made it quite 
clear to all he would protect his family first rather than cooperate."

Fletcher said that after the criminal investigation is completed, the 
Sheriff's Department will conduct an administrative investigation into 
Yang's conduct.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D