Wymore Woman Accepted Into Drug Court

A Wymore woman facing a drug charge has been accepted into drug court.Rylee J. Meints, age 25, of Wymore, appeared in Gage County District Court on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Rick A. Schreiner was the presiding judge.Meints is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, a class 2A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.Drug court are specialized court docket programs that help criminal defendants who have alcohol and other drug dependency problems. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, they are intended, “As an alternative to incarceration, drug courts reduce the burden and costs of repeatedly processing low-level, non-violent offenders through the nation's courts, jails, and prisons while providing offenders an opportunity to receive treatment and education.”According to the Gage County deputy that filled out the arrest affidavit, “On 11/29/22 at approximately 1321 hrs. (1:21 p.m.) I heard dispatch advise that a Nebraska State Patrol Trooper was in a pursuit of a vehicle northbound on Hwy. 77 near Linden Rd. I began responding toward that area and dispatch advised that now it appeared that the NSP patrol unit was stopped on Hwy. 77 near Linden Rd. I arrived a few minutes later and assisted with the investigation.”The state trooper detained the vehicle, which had three occupants. The affidavit indicates, “During a search of the vehicle the following items were located: 8 packages of edibles weighing 268.4 g., 9 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) vape cartridges weighing 10.8 g., scale, 2 pipes, knife with burnt wax on end, straw with burn end, and a baggie with a very small amount of marijuana inside. The THC content of the vape cartridges was 93 percent THC.”The deputy also noted that Meints reported to dispatch, “that someone had stolen her wallet and a couple of bags from her vehicle, while her vehicle had been parked in the driveway of her residence in Wymore.”The driver of the vehicle was identified as Joel Estrada-Baez, age 20, of Wymore. According to the affidavit, “During a Mirandized interview Estrada informed me that he had stolen a backpack from Meints.”Estrada-Baez is charged with a narcotics drug law violation, a class 4 felony, punishable by two years in prison, one year of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine; operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by one year months in jail and a $1,000 fine; possession of less than a pound of marijuana, a class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by three months in jail and a $500 fine; and driving without a valid operator's license, also a class 3 misdemeanor.Estrada-Baez was arraigned on January 10.

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