Connellsville woman, 19, sentenced in drug case
A Connellsville woman charged alongside four others with drug distribution pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in Butler County court on Tuesday.
Breanna J. Aldrich, 19, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia before Judge Timothy McCune. She was immediately sentenced to six months county probation and ordered to pay court costs and a $50 fine.
Aldrich was initially charged with two counts of felony possession with intent to deliver, one count of criminal conspiracy, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and two counts of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance following an incident on March 22 in Butler Township. The paraphernalia charge to which she pleaded was later added, and the remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea.
She was charged alongside Jemeal M. Youngblood, Marcus A. Wells and Bryant K. Wells Jr., all of Pittsburgh; and Maryrose M. Hatfield of Butler Township, after a search was conducted by the Butler County Drug Task Force of an apartment at 600 Hansen Ave., Lyndora, where Hatfield lived.
Police had been investigating alleged drug sales at that apartment since mid-February.
Officers seized 215 stamp bags of suspected heroin, about nine grams of crack cocaine packaged for sale, a small amount of marijuana and $664 in cash as well as multiple cell phones, according to court records.
Of the other defendants, Wells Jr. was sentenced to two to four years in state prison after pleading guilty to two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance — heroin and crack cocaine; Marcus Wells pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana and was sentenced to 30 days to six months, as well as fines and court costs; Hatfield was sentenced to 15 to 30 months in state prison followed by 12 months probation; and Youngblood pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and will be sentenced to 12 months probation on Dec. 28.
