Plea reached in heroin, meth case

McCOOK, Neb. -- A plea agreement was reached last month with an Oberlin woman facing seven drug and driving violations, including felony allegations for possession of heroin and methamphetamine. The plea deal admitted guilt to misdemeanor offenses for attempted possession of meth and driving on a suspended license.

The woman, 26-year-old Cynthia S. Valentine, was subsequently scheduled for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2016, in Red Willow County District Court.

Valentine was originally facing a pair of Class IV felonies alleging possession of methamphetamine and possession of heroin; a Class 2 misdemeanor alleging no insurance; a pair of Class 3 misdemeanors alleging fictitious plates and driving on a suspended license; a Class 5 misdemeanor alleging no proof of ownership; and an infraction alleging possession of drug paraphernalia.

The charges stemmed from a Nebraska State Patrol traffic stop on U.S. Highway 83 in July, according to court documents. Arresting officers confiscated two glass pipes which filed tested positive for meth residue and a brown crystal-like substance inside a zippered bag which tested positive for heroin, leading to the felony drug charges.

The plea agreement dismissed five of the charges entirely and reduced the felony alleging possession of meth to a Class I misdemeanor for attempted possession of meth, in addition to admitting guilt to the misdemeanor offense for driving on a suspended license.

Other activity in Red Willow County District Court, Sept. 12, 2016:

* A plea agreement was reached with a McCook man admitting guilt to a Class I misdemeanor offense for attempting to possess methamphetamine. The man, 32-year-old Joshua R. Lytle of 1604 West 4th Street Apt. 49, was subsequently scheduled for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2016.

Lytle also admitted to violating a 24 month probation sentence he received in May and stemming from two unrelated convictions for attempting to possess meth, according to court documents. He was also scheduled for sentencing on the probation violations on Nov. 7.

Prior to accepting his most recent plea agreement, Lytle was facing a Class IV felony alleging possession of meth stemming from a traffic stop on East B Street in June. A metal spoon and the back cover of Lytle's cell phone tested positive for the presence of meth at the time of the arrest, leading to the felony possession charge.

According to court documents, arresting officers sought an additional misdemeanor charge for possession of a Legend drug, a Class 3 misdemeanor stemming from a prescription required package of Stratta confiscated from Lytle at the time. The alleged Legend drug charge was not pursued by Red Willow County Attorney Paul Wood.