By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
The Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force seized more than seven total pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine in an April 15 search of a Marathon County home, along with roughly $45,000 in cash and two firearms, according to court documents.
Two people inside the home, on Balsam Road in Stratford, now face an array of drug charges and are jailed on cash bonds. Detectives from the Marshfield Police Department and Portage County Sheriff’s Department were also present when the home was searched.
Jessica Colby, 28, was charged April 18 in Marathon County Circuit Court with possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of more than 40 grams of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia, as party to a crime. She faces up to 80 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines if she is convicted. During an initial appearance in April, Circuit Judge Strasser ordered Colby held on a $75,000 cash bond. She remains behind bars with a review hearing set for May 8.
Her alleged co-conspirator, 31-year-old Joshua L. Lake, faces more serious charges and potential penalties. Lake was charged April 18 with the same crimes as Colby, along with a charge of possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. Court records show Lake has a prior felony conviction in Wood County for fleeing an officer and is legally prohibited from having firearms. That charge adds an additional 10 years to his potential sentence, if he is convicted, plus additional time due to his repeat offender status.
According to a criminal complaint, Lake waived his rights and disclosed to police that a “kilo of cocaine” and a “couple pounds” of methamphetamine, along with two guns, were on the property. Lake allegedly told police he was “supposed to meet some guys in Mexico, and he was supposed to fly to Mexico” later in the month.
Court records show investigators seized about 5 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 2 pounds of cocaine from the home, along with two 9mm rifles, one of which was in the trunk of Lake’s Audi.
Judge Strasser on April 18 set a $150,000 cash bond for Lake and ordered him to surrender his U.S. passport. He was bound over for trial during a preliminary hearing held April 29.
Future court dates for Lake have not yet been set.
The arrests are among several in recent weeks resulting in major drug seizures. The Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force is a group that includes members from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin State Patrol, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, Wausau Police Department, Everest Metro Police Department, Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, Portage County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
