Paradise woman pleads not guilty to drug charges

Desiree Dawn Ballard appeared for an initial appearance before Judge Deborah “Kim: Christopher on Tuesday, entering not guilty pleas to a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. Judge Christopher set this matter for jury trial on February 19, 2024.

As laid out in the charging documents, on August 30, after receiving credible information regarding possible drug activity at Ballard’s apartment, Sanders County Sheriff’s Deputy Devin Wegener received a search warrant. The next day, Deputy Wegener notified Ballard at work of the intention to execute a search warrant and inquired about any possibly hazardous materials in her apartment. As alleged, Ballard reported there was methamphetamine and other paraphernalia inside her apartment. After receiving her Miranda warning, Ballard continued speaking with Deputy Wegener, allegedly providing the location of the methamphetamine in her apartment, that it belonged to her ex-boyfriend who no longer lived there, and that she had been using methamphetamine within the last several weeks.

With assistance from other deputies and the Plains Police Department, a search was conducted. In the apartment, officers located nine assorted pipes, a scale, a butane lighter, and three plastic baggies containing white residue. In the location Ballard informed Deputy Wegener about earlier, two containers containing a crystalline substance expected to be methamphetamine were located, along with several clear plastic baggies, one of which contained an unknown black substance.