LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – A Lake Havasu City woman who missed her Oct. 1 sentencing hearing was able to make it to court the next day. Defense attorney Brad Rideout told Judge Ryan Esplin that Kathleen Orness was unable to attend the first hearing because she was hospitalized and being treated for heart-related issues.
Esplin issued a warrant for her arrest as Rideout was unable to offer any documents or proof that Orness, 39, had indeed been hospitalized. The warrant was quashed when Orness showed for a bond forfeiture hearing and was sentenced on Oct. 2.
Orness faced a three- to five-year prison term after pleading guilty to possessing narcotic drugs for sale involving a Feb. 11 traffic stop resulting in seizure of 13 grams of fentanyl. Her prior criminal history was a factor in the court’s imposition of a four-year prison term.
