Minden teen set to plead in heroin sales

A 19-year-old Minden woman, accused of selling heroin to undercover officers, is set to plead guilty Monday in District Court to a conspiracy charge with a recommendation she be admitted to drug court.

Lawyer Tod Young waived a preliminary hearing Wednesday for Corinne Dannehl and said she would enter the plea in an agreement with the district attorney's office that may lead to dismissal of the charge.

"The state has agreed not to oppose drug court," Young said. "If she successfully completes it, she can request the charges be dismissed and the records sealed."

"You got the deal of the century," said East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl.

Young pointed out that Dannehl was only 19.

"She's a drug addict and I believe she would qualify for drug court," he said.

The Western Regional Drug Court program lasts a minimum of 16 months and may involve inpatient treatment.

EnEarl set a review for Sept. 10.

"I want to look at your face," he told Dannehl. "I hope things go well for you. You can't mess this up. The alternative is prison, at best."

Dannehl, 19, and her boyfriend, 20, of Minden, were arrested in connection with sales of heroin in an undercover sting.

Investigators made several controlled purchases from the defendants, originally charged with sales of a controlled substance and as principals to the crime of sales of a controlled substance.

Both were jailed on $25,000 cash, but his parents bailed him out, according to court records.

He is to appear in East Fork Justice Court on July 9 with his lawyer, Derrick Lopez.

The defendants' vehicles were seized because they were allegedly used to transport heroin, according to reports.