WARSAW — A Warsaw woman will remain behind bars following her sentencing on multiple drug charges in Kosciusko Circuit Court on Monday, Jan. 7.

Rachelle Dale Dickey

Rachelle Dale Dickey, 28, 671 North Barbee Road, Warsaw, was in court on Dec. 6, 2018, to plead guilty to possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony; possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor; failure to appear, a level 6 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and unlawful possession of a syringe, a level 6 felony.

“We’ve got ourselves quite a mess,” said Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed at Dickey’s sentencing hearing. “If we don’t get to the heart of the matter, we’re never going to improve.”

According to an affidavit of probable cause, an officer with the Warsaw Police Department spotted Dickey driving a vehicle in Warsaw on April 2, 2018, and knew her driver’s license was suspended.

After making a traffic stop, a K9 officer conducted an outer air search of the vehicle made a positive alert. Inside the vehicle, officers reported finding methamphetamine and heroin in a variety of forms, as well as the accessories used to administer the drugs.

On April 10, jail officers reported finding Dickey unresponsive, as well as a syringe and methamphetamine in her cell.

In the initial case, Reed sentenced Dickey to 60 days in the county jail for the paraphernalia charge and six months for failing to appear. Those two sentences will be served concurrently, or at the same time. For possession of a narcotic, she received six months. On the case from jail, Reed sentenced Dickey to concurrent two-year terms, making the total time to serve at three years. Dickey received 508 days of credit for time served.

Reed told Dickey that if she becomes accepted and qualifies, he will allow her to serve the remainder of her sentence on work release.