Prison bars with keys
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 30-year-old Perry woman was given concurrent eight-year prison terms for trafficking fentanyl and having a pistol during the commission of a drug crime in Stillwater with a concurrent seven-year prison term for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute — after pleading guilty to a three-count charge last week.
Former Stillwater resident Ashley Danchel Rice, who has also been known by the surname of Burgess, was sentenced by Payne County Associate District Judge Michael Kulling, who approved a plea agreement with the prosecution last week, court records show.
Rice had been in custody on $100,000 bail since her arrest in April by Stillwater Police Detective Josh Carson, who wrote in an affidavit, “Over the past month, I have received numerous tips Ashley has been selling large amounts of pressed fentanyl pills in the city of Stillwater.”
When the detective interviewed Rice in jail, “Ashley told me she is selling approximately 500 fentanyl pills a week in Stillwater. Ashley stated she keeps the gun for protection.
“A total of 3 grams of fentanyl was seized and a total of 10.08 grams of methamphetamine was seized,” during a traffic stop of her car in the 4900 block of S. Perkins Road in Stillwater at 3:50 pm on April 11, an affidavit alleged.
“During processing, I located a drug ledger with known names of local addicts and monetary amounts beside their names. It is extremely common for drug dealers to keep track of their sales using ledgers,” the detective wrote in his affidavit.
In her car, “I observed enormous amounts of tin foil with black residue on them hidden under the center console. I know tin foil is used to ‘hot rail’ fentanyl pills by placing the pills onto the foil and applying heat to the foil and inhaling the fumes.
“This is the most common way to ingest fentanyl pills. I also observed one blue M30 fentanyl pill lying near the rocker panel on the passenger side of the Buick. I know these pills upon sight due to their color, the M30 imprint, and their ragged and un-uniformed appearance. These pills are common and are plaguing the city of Stillwater.
“I have known Ashley most of my career and know she is heavily involved in the distribution of fentanyl,” the detective wrote in his affidavit.
