Albion woman pleads guilty to drug charges

An Albion woman who’d been accused of possessing and distributing drugs has pleaded guilty.

Lameece Dillsi, 51, admitted to three felony charges including possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine in Whitman County Superior Court. Each crime is punishable by up to 10 years in jail, according to the Revised Code of Washington.

Dillsi’s conviction Friday developed out of a separate investigation last fall when a Spokane man told law enforcement he had information about people selling drugs in Whitman.

Mitchell Symonds was arrested and accused of being involved in recent thefts in Whitman and Latah counties. He had been cooperative with investigators and helped locate property he’d reportedly stolen, according to court records.

In an interview with Whitman County Sheriff’s Office deputies, he said he had “taken the fall” for others and wanted them to be held accountable for their actions, according to court records. He added he was tired of the life he is living and wanted to make things right.

He told investigators Dillsi had been selling counterfeit fentanyl pills and was traveling to Spokane to buy several hundred more, according to court records.

Deputies applied for and were granted a search warrant for her property to retrieve narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Dillsi cooperated with police and showed where the drugs were located in her house, according to court records.

Around 400 fentanyl pills, 2 grams of black tar heroin and 14 grams of methamphetamine were seized, according to court records. Deputies also found packaging and two digital scales with drug residue on them.

While searching the residence, a vehicle pulled into the driveway, saw deputies’ vehicles and began to pull away. Andrew Criesher allegedly told police he had come to the house to buy 100 fentanyl pills he had already purchased from Dillsi, according to court records.

Dillsi was arrested in October 2023 and was put on pretrial release. She was sent back to jail Friday for using fentanyl. Judge Gary Libey agreed with the prosecution to keep her in custody until she is sentenced this spring.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.