Traffic stop leads to fentanyl dealing charge against Richmond woman
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RICHMOND, Ind. — A driver's reported failure to signal a pair of turns while driving led to drug-related charges against a Richmond woman.
Amanda Richards, 43, was charged Wednesday in Wayne Superior Court 2 with dealing in a narcotic drug and possession of a narcotic drug.
A Wayne County sheriff's deputy wrote in an affidavit that on March 15, he observed a Dodge Dakota driven by Richards make a stop outside a South 12th Street house "suspected of fentanyl distribution and usage."
A "known narcotic user" was briefly in Richards' pickup truck, the court document said. Then Richards drove away and failed to use her turn signal when first changing lanes and then pulling into an alley.
The Dakota was then pulled over along North D Street.
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The deputy said an "extremely nervous" Richards said she did not have a valid driver's license and "was physically shaking, her voice was trembling, and she was having difficulty breathing."
A police K-9 then indicated there were narcotics in the pickup truck.
Inside a wallet found in the vehicle, the affidavit stated, the deputy found identification belonging to Richards and two plastic bags containing a total of 3.9 grams of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid often linked to local drug overdoses.
Richards reportedly admitted she had been recruited to transport the fentanyl from one location to another in exchange for "prescription medication, specifically Lortabs."
The dealing charge against Richards is a Level 2 felony carrying up to 30 years in prison. The possession charge is a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence.
The Richmond woman pleaded guilty in November 2017 in Wayne Superior Court 2 to three counts of neglect of a dependent.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Fentanyl dealing charge filed against Richmond woman
