Woman sentenced on dual-county drug offenses
SANDPOINT — A woman facing charges out of both Bonner and Kootenai counties for possession of dangerous drugs was sentenced in First District Court on Friday to two-to-six years in the Idaho Department of Corrections.
Carolina Villanueva, 51, took a plea deal on June 7, admitting to possession of methamphetamine. In exchange for the plea, five misdemeanor charges of possession of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, open container, and persistent violation were dropped.
Villanueva was pulled over Feb. 1 on U.S. 95 and Dufort Road for failing to stay in her lane. Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Maland learned she was serving probation out of Kootenai County, and gained permission from her probation officer to conduct a search.
Maland discovered methamphetamine and an open alcoholic beverage in the center console. In Villanueva’s purse, Maland found more methamphetamine in pre-measured amounts. Also found were multiple scales, small tubes, and notecards with dollar amounts written on them. After she was read her rights, Villanueva admitted to Maland that she was intending to sell methamphetamine, according to court records.
The arrest fell within a two-year probation Villanueva was serving for a Kootenai County case. In that case, on May 25, 2020 Kootenai County Sheriff’s Deputy Jordan Merz stopped Villanueva for an improper left turn. Upon searching the vehicle, Merz found methamphetamine, marijuana, paraphernalia, and an open alcoholic beverage, according to an affidavit of probable cause in court documents. Upon booking her into the Kootenai County Jail, hydrocodone and methamphetamine were found on Villanueva’s person, earning her an additional charge for possession of a controlled substance, and introducing contraband into a detention facility.
As part of a plea agreement on Oct. 14, 2020, Villanueva was placed on two years of supervised probation for a count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell. All other charges in that case were dropped. Among the conditions of Villanueva’s probation was to not commit any new offenses. When she was stopped in Bonner County four months later, she was charged with violation of probation.
Kootenai County First District Judge Rich Christensen gave jurisdiction of his case over to Bonner County First District Judge Barbara Buchanan. On June 8, Villanueva appeared before Buchanan with a plea deal admitting to violating probation and possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell. Sentenced from two to six years, Villanueva will spend the first year of her sentence in the court’s retained jurisdiction program.
The program, also called a “rider,” is an alternative to prison. It’s where an inmate’s needs are identified after being incarcerated, and then they are made to serve their sentence to term, or placed on probation. According to an article by the Lewiston Tribune, 17% of Idaho’s prison population are on rider sentences. Sixty-three percent of those are drug-related offenses. They are highly contested because of the 43% chance an inmate will reoffend after completing their sentence, according to Idaho Department of Corrections statistics.
Resources for substance abuse can be sought before a person comes into conflict with the law. For resources about finding treatment, quitting, or just opening up to someone about it, go to addictionresource.com/addiction-and-rehab-hotlines/idaho-numbers