Kashmir Wissinger

A Jefferson Township woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to drug delivery in two cases, one which involved counterfeit drugs, and was sentenced to state prison.

Kashmir M. Wissinger, 27, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance before President Judge Thomas Doerr in Butler County Court.

She was then immediately sentenced to 15 to 45 months in a state correctional facility, as well as the payment of court costs.

Wissinger has been in Butler County Prison since May 23, when Butler Township police arrested her on charges she planned to sell phony drugs disguised as heroin.

She was charged with felony possession with intent, two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Police said an officer conducting routine patrol duty found Wissinger's car in a Butler Township motel parking lot on Route 8. When he ran the vehicle's license plate, it was found that Wissinger was wanted by state parole authorities.

A clerk told the officer that Wissinger had paid cash for a room, documents said. She had checked in with two men.

Inside the room, police found Wissinger and Tyrone M. Higgins, 35, of Pittsburgh. In Wissinger's purse, police turned up 12 stamp bags containing what they thought was heroin and a baggie containing suspected cocaine.

She also had 353 empty stamp bags, eight syringes and other drug contraband, police said.

A book bag in Wissinger's room had additional contraband, including 19 empty stamp bags. Both suspects denied the book bag was theirs.

Later at the police station, court documents said, Wissinger admitted the suspected heroin was not heroin, but cocoa and baking soda, and that Higgins was packaging it and selling it to “rip people off,” according to a police affidavit.

Police said they eventually determined that Higgins, who had initially given a bogus name, was wanted on a bench warrant out of Allegheny County.

Higgins was charged with conspiracy to deliver a counterfeit controlled substance as well as possession charges and false identification and is awaiting further court proceedings.

While being held awaiting court proceedings in that case, the Butler County Drug Task Force charged Wissinger in the second case with two felony counts of possession with intent, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and one count of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. The remaining charges in that case were also dismissed as part of the plea.

Police said Wissinger on May 2 sold 10 stamp bags of heroin and crack to an informant in a controlled drug buy, according to court documents. The $180 deal occurred in the 100 block of West New Castle Street.

Wissinger will still face a separate parole violation hearing, which has yet to be scheduled, as she was on parole at the time of the incidents.