Kansas Man Reaches Plea Agreement on Drug Cases

A Kansas man facing felony drug charges has reached an agreement with the state and pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of attempted possession.Alpha L. Haskett, age 47, of Belleville, Kansas, appeared in Jefferson County Court on Wednesday, October 8, 2024. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge. Haskett was arrested on October 14, 2023, after a traffic stop. According to the arrest affidavit, a search of the vehicle by deputies uncovered a pill bottle containing a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. Haskett is charged with attempt of a class 4 felony, which is a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Motion to SuppressHaskett had previously rejected a plea offer. He later accepted the plea agreement after Judge Bauer ruled on a Motion to Suppress any and all evidence acquired as a result of the traffic stop. According to the motion, as filed by Haskett's attorney, Public Defender Scott Gropp, “The stop, search and seizure of the Defendant and his motor vehicle was not pursuant to a warrant and was not based on reasonable and articulable suspicion that a crime had, or was about to be committed, and thus in violation of the law.”Defendant’s rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, Section 1, 3 and 7 of the Bill of Rights to the Nebraska Constitution, and the decisions in Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648 (1979) and Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968).” In her ruling, Judge Bauer wrote, “It was noted during the first hearing that supplemental reports and body camera footage was sent to the County Attorney's Office. That discovery had not been provided to Defendant; thus, the continuation of the suppression hearing. At the second hearing, the deputy testified that the reports and body camera footage had somehow been deleted from the electronic storage system in the last 11 months that this case has been pending. Defendant questions the validity of the traffic stop absent further evidence.” Despite this, the judge denied the Motion to Suppress, “Electronic discovery has been problematic in many cases before this court. It is disappointing that solutions to those problems have not been addressed sufficiently, but the Court is unwilling to find that an officer is lying about a traffic stop for the sole reason that there is not footage to prove the basis. In this case, there was clearly a basis for the stop and a consent to the search which produced the evidence at bar. The Defendant's Fourth Amendment rights were not violated on the date in question notwithstanding the technical difficulties with discovery many months after the incident.” District Court CaseIn a separate, district court case, Haskett was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction.According to the Warrantless Arrest Affidavit, on March 21, 2023, at approximately 1:17 p.m., a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office conducted the traffic stop near the intersection of 5th and E Streets in Fairbury. The deputy that filled out the affidavit noted, “I was positioned behind the car, where I could observe a male driver, whom I know to be Alpha Haskett, and an unknown passenger.”After the stop, the passenger was identified as Ricelle Greenwood, age 39, of Fairbury.The affidavit indicated that a search conducted of the suspects and vehicles located, “a blue glass pipe tucked between the driver's seat and the center console. While searching the backpack that Greenwood had on her lap, I located a glass mirror with a white substance, which had a presumptive positive for methamphetamine.” The next day, March 22, at approximately 4:02 p.m., the sheriff's office executed a search warrant of Haskett's residence in Fairbury. According to the arrest affidavit, the search “revealed several zip-lock baggies with residue still inside. One of these baggies contained a small amount of a white crystal substance that had a presumptive positive for methamphetamine. I also found a clear plastic straw in the vicinity of the baggies, believed to be drug paraphernalia. These items were discovered in plain view,” and also, “Next to the side of the bed is a wooden dresser, which contains several items of drug paraphernalia. Inside the drawer was also a tiny working digital scale with a white crystal substance, which had a presumptive positive for methamphetamine. Scales are commonly used to weigh controlled substances prior to distribution. Downstairs were also many baggies, both with residue and new. There were also containers of a wax-like substance that had a presumptive positive for THC. Several unmarked prescription bottles and pills were also located.” Haskett was then arrested. In accordance with the plea agreement, the district court case will be dismissed.Judge Bauer ordered a PSI (Pre-Sentencing Investigation) and a substance abuse evaluation. Sentencing is scheduled for December 11.

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