A 40-year-old North Platte woman will spend the next several years in prison for distributing methamphetamine.
Staci Ponte appeared in Lincoln County District Court on Monday.
In January, North Platte Police responded to the Motel 6 to serve an arrest warrant on Ponte for distributing drugs.
Officers contacted Ponte in the room where she was living, and attempted to take her into custody.
While being taken into custody, Ponte attempted to flush methamphetamine down the toilet. Police also found two baggies containing meth on Ponte’s person.
Additionally, upon arrival at the jail, officers discovered that Ponte had Valium in her possession.
Prior to sentencing, Lincoln County Attorney, Rebecca Harling, told Judge Donald Rowlands that she had known Ponte for years, and considered her to be a person that has a lot of potential when she has her addiction under control.
“As the coroner, I wondered if I’d pick her up one day,” Harling said. “In fact, I’m surprised I haven’t had to.”
Harling then asked Judge Rowlands to sentence Ponte to a lengthy prison sentence, where she can get long-term treatment for her methamphetamine addiction.
Ponte’s attorney, Mike Nozicka, said that he could appreciate the state’s position. He said Ponte has an obvious problem with substance abuse, and pointed out that all the crimes Ponte had committed had drugs as the root cause.
He said Ponte has accepted responsibility for her actions, and has also been receiving treatment for some mental health problems. Nozicka told the court that Ponte has a five-year-old daughter, and doesn’t want to miss out on time with her.
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Rowlands admonished Ponte for her criminal record which goes back nearly 25 years and agreed that she has an extremely serious addiction to methamphetamine.
He then sentenced her to two to six years in the Women’s Reformatory in York for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, and one to three years for possession of Valium. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Ponte was given credit for 158 days already served, and remanded to the custody of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.