PORT JERVIS, NY – A Pennsylvania woman has pleaded guilty to dealing drugs in the Port Jervis region before the Orange County Court.
According to Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, Ashley Evans, 33, of Hallstead, Pennsylvania, pled guilty in Orange County Court to one count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree.
“The dedicated cooperation of skilled law enforcement investigators can and does serve to disrupt the trafficking of narcotics,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “Together, our partners in law enforcement can stem the tide of drugs and help to prevent the needless cycle of addiction and death that follows in the wake. I commend the work of the police agencies involved in this case and hope that drug dealers heed the warning that their crimes will be discovered and they will be held responsible for their actions.”
A five-month joint investigation by the Orange County Drug Task Force (OCDTF), and the City of Port Jervis Police Department revealed the unlawful possession and sales of firearms and methamphetamine occurring primarily in Western Orange County. As part of the investigation, authorities learned that Evans sold a total of 275 grams of methamphetamine, commonly known as “crystal meth” and that she possessed an additional 200 grams of methamphetamine. At the time of her plea, Evans admitted to participating in a conspiracy to sell methamphetamine in and around Port Jervis and to possessing a large quantity of methamphetamine with the intent to sell it.
Under the plea agreement announced on the record at the time that Evans pled guilty, the District Attorney’s Office will recommend that she serve an aggregate sentence of seven to eighteen years in state prison and two years of post-release supervision when she is sentenced on June 13, 2022.