We are part of The Trust Project.
WORTHINGTON — A Worthington woman was sentenced Monday to serve 54 months in prison for first-degree drug sale.
Stacey Heig, 51, was first charged with drug sale in January 2019, and three more criminal cases for similar crimes were filed against her in 2019 and 2020. As part of her plea deal, the other three cases were dismissed, and she was sentenced only for a single instance of drug sale.
For this offense, the recommended range of sentence according to Minnesota sentencing guidelines is 54 to 78 months, with a presumptive (or usual) sentence of 65 months.
The prosecutor asked the judge to order the presumptive sentence, as Heig had been dealing a significant amount of methamphetamine out of her apartment in the presence of minors and contributed to the chemical dependency of other people. The defense argued that Heig should be allowed to serve probation, so as not to disrupt the progress she's made toward recovery in the time since her arrest.
"Ms. Heig has a lot of incentive to continue the work she's been doing," said defense attorney Amanda Delaney.
ADVERTISEMENT
Heig exercised her right to address the court prior to sentencing.
"I apologize deeply for the time it has taken to get to this point," she said. "I'm here today to take responsibility for my actions. I'm really trying to make my life better."
"I do believe you that you're really sorry," said Fifth Judicial District Judge Sherry Haley.
She also acknowledged the progress Heig had made toward long-term sobriety, but cited concern that Heig was not following the treatment recommendations to the letter, putting her at higher risk for relapse.
She ordered Heig to serve 54 months and encouraged her to continue to seek treatment while in prison.
