MANSFIELD – A woman was indicted by the Richland County Grand Jury in March for attempting to bring heroin into the Richland Correctional Institution.
Heather A. Guysinger was charged with illegal conveyance of drugs onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility, and for possession of heroin. According to Assistant Prosecutor Deborah Woodward, heroin was the drug Guysinger was attempting to smuggle inside the prison on July 26, 2013.
“Illegal conveyances can be charged both against the person bringing the drugs in as well as the person who is the receiver on the inside,” Woodward said. “Frequently the charge is against the visitor, but we have had situations in the past where both individuals are charged in the conveyance if they can figure out who is involved.”
In this particular case, Guysinger was not the inmate in the conveyance. Woodward could not say why the charge came almost three years after the incident occurred.
Both charges are third-degree felonies, with each carrying a maximum penalty of 36 months in prison and a $10,000 maximum fine.
In other news, a woman was indicted for complicity involving an incident with a generator. Danielle Kristian Breaux was charged with complicity in breaking and entering as well as complicity in petty theft.
Woodward explained the charges involve breaking into a garage and taking a generator on Jan. 8, 2016. The victim of the breaking and entering later approached a vehicle and saw the generator belonging to him sitting in the back of the vehicle.
“Ultimately the co-defendant, Troy Holt, claimed he had borrowed the items,” Woodward said. “The defendant (Breaux) in this case stated she had driven Mr. Holt and he had loaded the generator. She thought the generator was his.”
Holt was not named as part of the list of indictments on Tuesday. Woodward could not say whether he would be indicted or give further details about Holt’s case. Complicity is commonly known as aiding and abetting, Woodward explained. She added she was sure there was more to the case that led to charging Breaux.
“Obviously someone evaluated the case and felt there was enough evidence that she was complicit in the breaking and entering of the garage,” Woodward said.
The complicity in breaking and entering is a fifth-degree felony with the possibility of 12 months maximum in prison. The complicity in petty theft charge is a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of six months in jail. Both charges carry with them a combined total of $3,500 in fines.
Editor’s Note: The Richland County Prosecutor’s Office has elected to no longer provide personal identifiers, such as addresses or dates of births, for those indicted by the Grand Jury.
