18-year-old pleads guilty in drug sting at Ramona High

By Neal Putnam

Two young adults who were arrested in the undercover drug bust from Ramona High School are awaiting hearings, while a third has pleaded guilty.

Skylor Rocky McGee, 20, and Maxwell Gaffney, 19, have separate preliminary hearings in June, but Christopher Forest Payne, 18, will be sentenced on June 11 in San Diego Superior Court. All are Ramona residents.

A fourth person arrested was a female juvenile whose case in Juvenile Court is not public record. She was arrested at Ramona High School.

Payne pleaded guilty May 13 for sale of marijuana and possessing a tranquilizer for sale. While the maximum sentence is four years and eight months in prison, Payne will receive a stipulated term of one year in jail, according to court records.

“I possessed Xanax for a sales purpose and I unlawfully sold a usable amount of marijuana,” wrote Payne on a court document.

Undercover sheriff’s deputies posed as students at Ramona, Poway, Mission Hills, Mt. Carmel, and Abraxas high schools during the investigation. Ten adults and six juveniles were arrested April 30.

An undercover deputy wrote that she purchased three grams of marijuana for $30 from Payne in a fast food parking lot in the 1000 block of Main Street in Ramona. She also purchased the same amount of marijuana and one tranquilizer for $40 from Payne in another parking lot.

Judge Laura Halgren dismissed four counts of transportation of marijuana and another sale of the drug against Payne after he pleaded guilty to two other counts. Payne has a prior case for possession of marijuana for sale and he remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility without bail.

McGee, who is on probation for receiving stolen property in a widely publicized burglary case in Ramona in which several juveniles were prosecuted, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges. He remains free on $20,000 bond.

The same undercover deputy wrote that she purchased 1.8 grams of marijuana from McGee for $20 on the high school campus on March 25. She wrote she also bought the same amount of marijuana from McGee for $25 on April 10, also on the campus, although McGee is not a student.

McGee is charged with two counts of possession of marijuana for sale on school grounds, two counts of possession for sale, two counts of transportation of marijuana and sale of the drug.

McGee and Gaffney have separate preliminary hearings set for June 7 and June 27 respectively as they have pleaded not guilty.

Gaffney, of Ramona, is charged with heroin possession, possession of heroin with a firearm, sale and possession of marijuana for sale. Gaffney remains free on his own recognizance on condition he submits to drug testing at any time.