Time Served For Park Incident

(SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.) — A Scottsbluff woman was sentenced to time served in Scotts Bluff County District Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to an amended misdemeanor drug charge stemming from a summer park incident.

Buffy L. Salas entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of attempted possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a Class 1 misdemeanor, as part of a plea agreement. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dismissed an infraction charge for possession of drug paraphernalia.

District Judge Andrea Miller sentenced Salas to 105 days in the Scotts Bluff County Jail, granting full credit for 105 days already served prior to sentencing. The court waived a presentence investigation and discharged all court costs, allowing Salas to be released with time served.

The conviction arises from a July 1 response by Scottsbluff Police to a report of a physical disturbance at a park near 12th Avenue. Responding officers contacted Salas and a male companion laying on the ground beneath a tree.

During the contact, a reporting party informed law enforcement that the pair had been drinking. When asked if officers could search her belongings, Salas consented. Inside her purse, officers discovered a glass pipe and a hypodermic syringe, both containing white residue. Field testing confirmed the residue was positive for methamphetamine, leading to her arrest.

Prosecutor Allison Witcofski represented the State of Nebraska during Tuesday’s hearing, while court-appointed defense attorney Jessica Landers represented Salas.