Woman pleads not guilty to drug charge

Hot Springs resident Gabriela Pierini appeared in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to charges of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. According to charging documents, Pierini and her boyfriend were arrested after a vehicle was chased through Hot Springs and out onto Highway 28, where they were clocked at over 120 miles per hour before the driver finally pulled the vehicle over. Drugs were found in the vehicle and they were both arrested.

Meloney Dollar, is facing charges of felony theft and misdemeanor criminal mischief damage to a rental property. During a hearing on Tuesday, Dollar attempted to get a release and bail reduction. She spoke to the court saying she is trying to get her life back in order. She said she is taking courses in college for criminal psychology and needs to check in. “I want to try to give back to someone else in my situation who has been lost a little bit too long,” said Dollar. She also said that she tried to turn herself in over 4 times and was turned away because of the COVID-19 situation. She included that she was pulled over and arrested attempting to turn herself in a fourth time.

Sanders County Attorney Naomi Leisz told the court that in fact Dollar has a serious history of warrants and not communicating with her attorney and the court. She has also repeatedly failed to return to court and none of her claims about trying to turn herself in have been corroborated, Leisz said. According to the charging documents, Dollar was staying at a rental property where she was caught selling the rental owner’s property. Several items of the owners that come with the property were found on the Sanders County Online Yard Sale on Facebook, where they were posted by a “Meloney Miller.” When she vacated the property, the owner discovered that the flooring, curtains, insulation and other intrinsic items were missing from the property. There were several thousand dollars worth of missing items and the owner claims that it cost them nearly $5,000 to repair her damages to the property. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher denied the request to reduce Dollar’s bail.

Also in court Tuesday was Kurt Lamarr, who appeared for a last-minute bail reduction hearing. Lamarr is facing charges of assault with a weapon and aggravated assault. According to the charging documents, on November 16 Lamarr rammed his vehicle into another vehicle, totaling it. He then exited his own vehicle and allegedly assaulted both the victim and a witness. His request for a reduced bond was denied by the judge.