Report of Knife Leads to Drug Charge
Chad D. Spanjer, 28, of Fairbury, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in Jefferson County Court on Wednesday, December 22, after having the charge reduced from a felony. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge.
The defendant was originally charged with possession of methamphetamine, a class 4 felony punishable by two years in prison, nine to 12 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine.
In accordance with a plea agreement, Spanjer pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted possession, a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
On September 19 of this year, at approximately 7:27 p.m., Jefferson County Deputies responded to a report of a male subject with a knife who was threatening people near a residence in Fairbury.
Authorities arrived at the scene and, according to the Probable Cause Affidavit, a black bag was located during a search of the premises for the knife, “The bag had come from the pocket of the pants Spanjer had taken off when he got home prior to the incident. The bag was tight around what appeared to be some type of pipe. I unraveled the ties on the cloth bag and located a glass pipe with white residue and a red straw at approximately 1936 hours (7:36 p.m.). The pipe was field tested and tested positive for methamphetamine. A sample of the evidence will be sent to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab for further testing.”
Spanjer was arrested at the scene.
Judge Bauer ordered a PSI (Pre-Sentencing Investigation) and a substance abuse evaluation. Sentencing is scheduled for February 23, 2022.
