A seven year prison term was ordered June 14 for a Lake Havasu City woman convicted of bringing narcotics into the community. Tracie Bishoff, 50, was sentenced by Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle.
Lake Havasu City police said Bishoff was a passenger in a 1993 Ford Ranger driven by Paul Kornish, 49, also of Lake Havasu. A K-9 alerted on the vehicle following a routine traffic stop on Highway 95 on April 2.
A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 1.5 ounces of heroin and one ounce of methamphetamine. Defense attorney Melissa Moore called it a simple possession case, saying her drug-addicted client was helping import the drug simply to feed her habit.
Even though she told a probation officer that she was consuming about eight grams of heroin a week, Judge Carlisle said he would not treat the matter as a possession case. He said the amount of drugs involved is far beyond the personal consumption threshold and he noted that Bishoff pleaded guilty to transportation of narcotic drugs for sale.
Deputy county attorney Kellen Marlow said Bishoff and Kornish were bringing poison into Lake Havasu from California.
“Heroin your honor, frankly, is a drug that kills people,” noting dozens of heroin related deaths in the county in recent years. “Miss Bishoff’s actions in this case contributed to the problem of the spread of heroin over the county.”
Kornish remains in custody awaiting trial on drug charges.
