Conspiring to sell cocaine lands Lanexa woman year-and-a-half in jail

A Lanexa woman will spend a year-and-a-half in jail after receiving formal sentencing during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court.

Lauren Nicole Mathias, 35, of the 3100 block of Augustus Lane, pled guilty during an earlier trial on April 20 on two counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and a single count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

During the April trial, evidence presented showed that Methias had made arrangements to sell cocaine and a possible weapon with ammunition to a confidential informant that totaled around $2,000. During the buy, authorities were able to apprehend her and recovered a box that had the ammunition as well as a silver Magnum revolver.

Mathias received a 10-year sentence with eight years, six months suspended on the first count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine conviction. All 10 years on the second conspiracy charge and all five years on the possession of ammunition charge were suspended.

In an unrelated case, a Portsmouth man will spend three months in jail after accepting a plea deal to a lone count of grand larceny.

Orrel Shapond Chandler, 43, of the 30 block of Channing Avenue, entered the guilty plea stemming from a Sept. 25, 2019 incident. On that day, Chandler went into the Love’s Truck Stop located in the Talleysville area of the county and stole various items from the store.

Under the agreement, Chandler received a 10-year sentence with nine years, nine months suspended.