An Aberdeen woman arrested after a synthetic drug bust at Skeleton Key gallery in August was sentenced Wednesday to prison.
Sherri M. Bauer, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of with intent to distribute synthetic cannabis and one count of possession of synthetic cannabis. In exchange for her guilty pleas, other charges, including that she intended to distribute bath salts, another synthetic drug, were dismissed.
Judge Jack Von Wald gave Bauer the same sentence on each charge: seven years in prison with three years suspended. The prison terms will be served concurrently, and Bauer was given credit for 21 days served in jail. She must pay $704 in fines and fees on each charge. She will be eligible for parole after serving a year in prison and must make $1,611 in restitution for testing costs.
Chris White, chief deputy state's attorney, said after the hearing that about 2 pounds of synthetic cannabis were found in Bauer's Skeleton Key Gallery, which was on South Main Street, when officers raided the gallery on Aug. 8.
Brandon J. Messmer, 36, of Aberdeen, was also arrested as a result of the bust. He faces 11 drug-related felony counts, many related to synthetic cannabis and bath salts. He has entered not guilty pleas to the charges.
Law enforcers found more drugs when they searched Messmer's home, White said.
He said it appears Bauer and Messmer were ordering the synthetic drugs from the Internet with the intent of selling them. Law enforcers learned about Bauer and Messmer because there was plenty of talk about the operation around town, White said. He said it was one of the biggest synthetic drug busts in the state.
Bauer admitted that she had synthetic cannabis in her office and that it was hers.
Last year, state legislators passed laws to crack down on synthetic drug use, which law enforcers and others say has been on the rise. Those laws went into effect in early 2012, White said.
Both charges Bauer pleaded guilty to are felonies, each punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The possession with intent to distribute charge also has a one year minimum prison sentence.
In other court news:
Josef W. Rude, 26, who has Redfield and Sioux Falls addresses listed in court paperwork, was sent to prison for violating the terms of his probation.
Rude was on probation because he previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of morphine and one count of possession of methadone. According to court paperwork, he broke probation rules by being arrested on drunken driving, marijuana distribution, drug paraphernalia and child abuse charges in Minnehaha County.
For breaking probation rules, Rude was given the same sentence on the three underlying Brown County charges — four years in prison. The terms will be served concurrently, and he must pay any outstanding fines and fees. His suspended imposition, which would have kept the Brown County charges from his record, was revoked.
The morphine and methadone charges are felonies, each punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Jean A. Tastad, 61, of Groton was sentenced to 23 days in jail after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of the prescription painkiller hydrocodone. She must spend two years on probation and pay $804 in fines and fees. She must also continue with aftercare and pay $45 in testing costs.
Tastad was granted a suspended imposition of sentence. That means the incident won't go on her record if she follows probation rules. The crime is a felony punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Troy Grabowska, 47, of Leola entered not guilty pleas to two charges of knowingly disposing of a vehicle with a known lien without consent of the lienholder. He requested a jury trial.
Each count is a felony punishable by as much as two years in prison and a $4,000 fine.
