Guilty pleas given to drug, other charges
A woman pleaded guilty to several charges in Butler County Court on Tuesday, including lying to police about her name and drug possession.
Sanya L. Vantassel, 40, pleaded guilty to felony criminal use of a communications facility, misdemeanor false reports, unsworn falsification to law enforcement and two counts of possession of a controlled substance before Judge William Shaffer.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 11½ to 23 months in county prison, probation, restitution and fines. She is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 7.
The felony communications device, misdemeanor false reports and one controlled substance possession charge stems from an incident on July 14, 2016, in Adams Township.
Police said Vantassel was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over on Route 228 for having a brake light out, according to the criminal complaint. Neither the driver nor the passenger had identification on them, and police allegedly found two crack pipes, a container with crack inside, a syringe, three stamp bags and a bundle of heroin stamped with the Toyota logo.
After getting her consent, police searched her two cell phones and allegedly saw text messages from people requesting to buy drugs using slang words such as “candy” and “stick.”
Vantassel gave police a false name, and after she was released, police identified the woman as Vantassel and discovered that she had active warrants in Butler and Allegheny counties.
The unsworn falsification and second possession charges stem from an incident on Jan. 28, 2016, in Butler Township.
Butler Township Police said during an investigation of a possible drug overdose at the Days Inn, Route 8 south, Vantassel provided false information to police, including a bogus name and date of birth.
