Hayward Woman Pleads Guilty on Meth Charges

A Hayward, WI woman has plead guilty to methamphetamine charges and been sentenced.

Ashley Denasha, of Hayward, WI appeared in Sawyer County Circuit Court on July 25, 2018, and entered a plea of guilty to a charge of Class I Felony Possession of Methamphetamine stemming from an incident in June 2018.

Denasha was also facing charges from an incident in November 2017 when an Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Police Officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle she was in. Charges were also filed against David Mueller, also of Hayward. Investigating officers seized prescription pills, marijuana, and 7 grams of methamphetamine during the traffic stop. Details are not available at this time as to whether charges will be filed regarding the methamphetamine located during the November 2017 traffic stop.

As part of a plea deal, Denasha’s charges of Class I Felony Possession of Narcotic Drugs and Misdemeanor Possess Drug Paraphernalia stemming from the November 2017 incident were dismissed but read in.

The Court found Denasha guilty and ordered a withheld sentence; 3 years of probation. Conditions of Denasha’s probation will require her to complete an Alcohol and Other Drug Assessment, maintain absolute sobriety, and complete any counseling the Department of Corrections deems appropriate.

Mueller is scheduled to appear next in August 2018 regarding his charge of Class I Felony Possession of Narcotic Drugs stemming from the traffic stop.

**Previous Post**

Two Charged with Possession of Narcotics After Traffic Stop

Friday, December 29, 2017 | DrydenWire

Two Hayward residents, Ashley DeNasha, 33, and David Mueller, 29, have been charged in Sawyer County Circuit Court with possession of narcotics and face three and a half years in prison and a fine of not more than $10,000 each, as a result of a traffic stop on Hwy K near Tall Pines on the LCO Reservation on November 30, 2017.

Mueller was also charged with felony bail jumping from the same incident, a result of violating his bond from an earlier felony charge in 2017 for possession of methamphetamine.

According to the criminal complaint, an LCO officer on patrol watching traffic at the Pineview Funeral Home observed a red SUV traveling south on Hwy K that had an obstructed view with something hanging by the rearview mirror and initiated a traffic stop.

The deputy identified the front passenger as DeNasha by LCO tribal ID and the rear driver’s side passenger as Mueller through information, according to the complaint. As he was talking with Mueller, he rolled the window down and the deputy said he observed his hands and arms to be substantially covered with “pick” marks which, based on the deputy’s training and experience, he believed to be from heavy methamphetamine use.

“I returned to my patrol vehicle and asked for K9 to respond to my location,” the deputy reported. The deputy ran the subjects while he waited and discovered the driver had two Sawyer County warrants for her arrest.

The K9 unit arrived and had a hit on the vehicle for drugs, according to the criminal complaint. The deputy had the driver step to the back of the squad and she told the deputy she had warrants. She also said she had prescription pills that weren’t prescribed to her.

DeNasha was taken out of the vehicle and she admitted that there was a meth pipe underneath her seat and said the pipe was hers.

Other deputies arrived on scene and began a search of the vehicle.

As Mueller was being removed from the vehicle, deputies removed two knives from his right-side hip, one was a large machete knife. The deputy asked him why he had such a large knife and he answered that he always carried it.

According to the complaint, the deputy noticed white powder on Mueller’s nose as he got to the rear of the vehicle.

“I asked him to tilt his head back and his entire nasal cavity was coated with white powder,” the deputy reported. “For safety concerns I asked him if he had just ingested a large amount of drugs to avoid detection by law enforcement. I was concerned that he may have taken a large amount and may possibly OD.

Mueller told the deputy it was cocaine and although he took it recently, it was his usual amount. He also told the deputy that he was sharing it with “her” but did not say which of the two females he was referring too.

The deputy asked Mueller if there was anything illegal in the vehicle and Mueller said there wasn’t anything illegal that he knew of. “All the coke was gone,” he told the deputy. During the search, deputies located the pipe DeNasha was referring to and they also found a small clear zip lock type bag containing a white crystal substance in the center console in an upright position that they said could not have been in that position while they were driving, and they said it must have been just put there, according to the complaint.

The deputies also found nine vicadin pills in the pocket on the back of the passenger seat in front of where Mueller was sitting, the complaint stated.

All subjects were then arrested and once at the jail, it was discovered that Mueller had a $5,000 bond for a previous felony charge. He was then booked on felony bail jumping for violating his bond.

On April 23, 2017, Sawyer County deputies were dispatched to Mueller’s mother’s residence because Mueller wasn’t supposed to be at the residence. DeNasha was also with Mueller. Deputies made contact with the two of them at the end of the driveway, according to the criminal complaint.

It was discovered that DeNasha had a warrant from the Department of Corrections. During her arrest, deputies began to search a bag near a tree at the end of the driveway in case there was anything in the bag taken from the residence where Mueller wasn’t supposed to be. Prior to searching, DeNasha said there may be one bag of a white substance, the complaint stated.

Deputies found inside the bag found multiple gem baggies that had a white residue. Other bags were discovered that had a green leafy substance, later to be determined as marijuana. The white residue was methamphetamine, according to the complaint.

The deputy asked DeNasha if the bag was her and she said no. Mueller told the deputy that everything in the bag was his, according to the complaint. The methamphetamine came back at a weight of 7 grams. Mueller was charged and faces three and a half years in prison.

Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.