Couple from Idaho sentenced to 7 months in jail, probation in fentanyl possession case

Stock image, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — An Idaho couple arrested for drug possession in Iron County in February were sentenced separately on Monday, with each being ordered to serve seven months in jail and complete a drug treatment program and supervised probation.

2021 file photo for illustrative purposes only of Iron County Jail, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 24, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Stephen Anthony Anastasio, 35, and Miranda Westman, 27, each were sentenced during their respective court appearances before 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell. Their sentencing hearings were conducted via videoconference from Iron County Jail.

As previously reported in Cedar City News, the pair were arrested Feb. 8 after an Iron County Sheriff’s deputy spotted their car at an Interstate 15 rest stop near Kanarraville, ran its license plate and found that its registration had expired.

Further investigation revealed that Westman, the registered owner of the car,  had an active warrant for grand theft burglary charge in Idaho. Additionally, Anastasio was determined to be on probation for felony child abuse, also in Idaho.

A search of the vehicle reportedly yielded a baggie containing between 200-300 fentanyl pills, according to the charging documents filed in support of their arrests.

During Anastasio’s sentencing hearing, defense attorney Troy Sundquist said his client’s substance abuse issues, along with the death of his and Westman’s young child, had sent his life into a “tailspin.”

“He understands where he has gone wrong,” Sundquist said as he addressed the court. “He’s recognized that he’s made huge mistakes. And he’s willing to do what needs to be done to pay for those and hopefully has an opportunity to get into some treatment.”

However, prosecutor David Hill pointed out what he called troubling aspects of the case.

“There were several hundred fentanyl pills involved,” Hill said. “That’s more than personal use.”

Additionally, Hill noted that trace amounts of morphine had been found in the body of the couple’s 3-year-old son, who drowned in a bathtub. 

“I do think that there is a correlation between their drug usage and his death, which is why there was a plea in this case,” Hill said. “And yet despite that, he continued to engage in behavior that would put those drugs into the streets and in those communities.”

Defendant Stephen Anastasio appears via videoconference for her sentencing hearing, Cedar City, Utah, May 2, 2022 | Screenshot image courtesy of 5th District Court via WebEx, St. George News / Cedar City News

When it was Anastasio’s turn to address the court, he said, “I never missed a check-in with my last probation officer. And, I just haven’t been given the opportunity to actually engage in any treatment.”

However, Bell challenged Anastasio’s remarks, saying, “When you say you were doing everything required, that’s apparently not true, because you got arrested and now convicted in this case of possessing fentanyl pills with the intent to distribute. So is that AP&P’s fault, or your probation officer’s fault, that you weren’t seeking treatment?

“No, sir,” Anastasio replied.

“Mr. Anastasio, I’ve seen worse criminal histories than yours,” Bell said. “But it is frustrating. You’ve gone from one state to another … with felony offenses related to drugs, you haven’t engaged in treatment.”

Bell added that he has a hard time believing repeat drug offenders who claim they haven’t had a chance at receiving treatment.

“That’s what’s concerning to me here, is that you’ve just gone from state to state, and this is a problem that’s at least 10 years old,” Bell told Anastasio. “So why? What would make it successful this time around?”

“Because I really want it, Your Honor, and I really need it,” Anastasio replied. “That’s what I’ve been wanting for a while. I should have took it upon myself to check into treatment. I just never have. And if I get that opportunity, I promise to complete it. And I will complete it.”

Bell then handed down the sentence, splitting the difference in the recommendations and ordering Anastasio to serve 210 days in jail, with credit given for time already served. Bell also ordered that Anastasio be placed on 36 months of supervised probation after the end of his sentence, in addition to successfully completing a substance abuse treatment program plus 100 hours of community service. 

“You’re going to be on an extremely short leash if you’re not successful on probation,” Bell warned. 

The court did waive all fines and fees, except for the required court security fee of $53.

“Mr. Anastasio, that might not feel like much of a break,” Bell said after he’d pronounced the terms of the sentence. “But frankly, I think it is a bit of a break. I also think that it lets you know that I’m serious, and that this isn’t just a few months and go back to business as usual. So I hope you will take this seriously. You’re telling me you’ll show me you’re committed and you’ll be successful. I’d love nothing more. And if you do, I will be as pleased as anyone that you’re turning your life around.” 

“If you go back to your old ways Mr. Anastasio, we won’t need a long conversation next time,” Bell added. “I’ll just impose the prison sentence and send you out there where you’ll do a lot longer in custody, and you can get some treatment there.”

A short time later, Westman appeared for her sentencing hearing, which unfolded in much the same way that Anastasio’s had.

Defendant Miranda Westman appears via videoconference for her sentencing hearing, Cedar City, Utah, May 2, 2022 | Screenshot image courtesy of 5th District Court via WebEx, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Your Honor, our recommendation for Ms. Westman is going to be essentially the same as what I recommended for Mr. Anastasio,” Hill said. “Much like in his case, and I won’t belabor the point either, … the state feels that probation doesn’t quite make sense. She’s already been on it. It didn’t (work). They weren’t seeming to really be interacting well with it.”

Given an opportunity to address the court, Westman said, “I just want to say that I am taking accountability for what I did. I know that fentanyl is dangerous and we shouldn’t have been messing around with it.”

“I’m learning a lot while I’ve been here, and I’m working on myself,” Westman added.

Bell then gave Westman essentially the same sentence he’d given Anastasio. The court also asked Westman if she wanted to waive extradition to Idaho to face additional charges in that state once her 210-day jail term in Utah is completed in early September.

“Is that your desire to waive extradition so that as soon as this sentence is fulfilled, you can be transported there to deal with those charges?” Bell asked, to which Westman replied in the affirmative.

“This is a serious case,” Bell said as the hearing concluded. “Not the kind of quantities and other things I see in some other cases, but serious nonetheless.”

“I hope that you’re serious about living sober and crime-free,” Bell added as the hearing concluded.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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