Plea deal reached in Pennington case

A trial scheduled to begin next week for a 19-year-old woman who faced six felony charges has been avoided after a plea deal was announced in court Wednesday.

The charges against Mylissa Pennington were reduced to four class one misdemeanors – two counts of attempted possession of illegal mushrooms, attempted possession of more than 1 pound of marijuana and obstructing a peace officer – in exchange for no contest pleas.

Each count carries a maximum possible penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the plea agreement, Pennington also agrees to “testify truthfully in any matter relating to the incidents that led to the filing of these charges against any co-defendant.”

With Pennington’s no contest pleas to the four charges, another case in which she faced a felony charge of tampering with evidence was dismissed.

Pennington was arrested along with Dillon Grabowski, 22, on May 21 after law enforcement officers served a search warrant at a residence in Lodgepole.

According to a probable cause affidavit, four marijuana plants and about 3 ounces of dried cannabis, in addition to a mushroom grow and 31 grams of dried mushrooms, were seized from the house. Digital scales and baggies – and $10,000 in a safe – were also discovered.

Pennington was released from custody in June after posting 10 percent of a $50,000 bond.

Two months later, Grabowski was taken by an ambulance to Sidney Regional Medical Center and had to be revived three times by a drug used to reverse the effects of opioids, according to court documents.

Pennington was again arrested after health care workers told law enforcement she had admitted to flushing acetyl fentanyl – an illegal drug more potent that morphine and heroin – down a toilet after discovering Grabowski unresponsive after he snorted some of the drug, the documents add.

That incident led to the second case against Pennington, which has been dismissed pursuant to the plea agreement.

Pennington is scheduled to be sentenced at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 8.

On Aug. 19, a federal grand jury indicted Grabowski on a charge of possessing and distributing acetyl fentanyl analogue, a Schedule 1 controlled substance. The pretrial motion deadline has been extended until Dec. 14.

Trial dates set for Mladenik

The trial for a man accused of leading police on a car chase across state lanes in September has been scheduled for Dec. 14 and 15.

Joseph M. Mladenik, 40, of Cheyenne, Wyo., has been charged with four felonies in the incident, including three counts of possessing a firearm while committing a felony and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest.

On Sept. 16, Nebraska law enforcement officials were alerted by the Wyoming Highway Patrol that they had discontinued a pursuit of a 2005 gray Ford Explorer at the state line at about 3 p.m., according to court documents.

The vehicle entered Nebraska eastbound on Interstate 80 where the Kimball County Sheriff’s Office and the Kimball Police Department picked up the pursuit.

At approximately 3:20 p.m., three miles west of Potter, the Nebraska State Patrol took over the pursuit. Troopers successfully deployed two sets of stop sticks flattening tires on the vehicle. The vehicle went into the median on I-80 just west of Sidney, crossed the westbound lanes and ended up in the ditch on the north side of the interstate.

The driver, who was identified as Mladenik, was taken into custody.

Mladenik is currently being held by the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Dec. 2.