Kyah Cordell is facing time behind bars if she is found guilty in three separate drug cases in three different counties.
Cordell, 18, of Grand Island, was recently arrested in Scotts Bluff County for possessing Fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, and for tampering with evidence, according to court records. This is the latest case that features charges against Cordell, with other cases pending in Box Butte and Seward Counties, as well.
In the Scotts Bluff County case, according to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, on Feb. 11, a deputy with the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office was on duty when they observed a vehicle believed to be owned by someone with an active arrest warrant. After confirming the warrant was still active, the deputy conducted a traffic stop.
“During this time I could see the passenger in the vehicle making Furtive Movements,” the deputy said in the Affidavit.
After the vehicle came to a stop, the deputy restrained the driver, placing the driver under arrest. The passenger in the vehicle was identified as Kyah Cordell, and the deputy saw there was an active arrest warrant for Cordell out of Seward County.
“My Sheriff Canine Frodo conducted a sniff around the vehicle,” the deputy said in the Affidavit. “Frodo indicated on the passenger side of the vehicle where Kyah was seated. A probable cause search was done on the vehicle.”
The search revealed that Cordell had a tooter straw and foil with residue on her person.
“Kyah stated that the Straw was used for both Methamphetamine and Fentanyl use,” the deputy said in the Affidavit. “Kyah admitted that just ‘prior’ to the stop, she ate a Fentanyl Pill. Kyah stated that she received that pill from (the driver of the vehicle) and he just ‘handed it to her’. Kyah also stated that she used a total of ‘10’ Fentanyl pills this day.”
The deputy noted in the Affidavit that, based on his training and his observations, she ate the pill while being pulled over in an attempt to prevent the pill from being located.
The deputy transported Cordell to the Scotts Bluff County Detention Center. In the Scotts Bluff County case, Cordell is charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony, tampering with physical evidence, a class 4 felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction. She was arraigned in the case on Feb. 13.
Cordell’s case in Box Butte County is also related to drugs, with her facing three counts of possession of a controlled substance, each a class 4 felony. Those charges stem from an incident on Aug. 22, 2022. According to the Affidavit for Custody filed in the case, there was an ongoing investigation into Cordell and another individual believed to be distributing controlled substances. Through the investigation, a tracking device was placed on the individual’s vehicle, and investigators noticed the vehicle was returning from Denver, Colo. Investigators told a deputy with the Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office that Cordell and the other individual made contact with another vehicle, and that there was a transfer of one object from one vehicle to the other. This was observed near the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 71, 12 miles west of Hemingford, according to the Affidavit.
The vehicle was stopped near the intersection of Highway 385 and Keith Road. All three passengers in the vehicle were detained and advised of their Miranda Warnings, according to the Affidavit. The Affidavit also states that the passengers agreed to speak with the deputy.
“Cordell advised all the bags in the back seat of the car belonged to her and that there would be Fentanyl pills within one of her bags,” the deputy said in the Affidavit.
A search of the vehicle was conducted, which yielded several pills believed to be Fentanyl, as well as five Xanax bars, and other pills believed to contain higher doses of Fentanyl, according to the Affidavit. The bag also contained less than an ounce of marijuana.
Cordell was arrested and transported to the Box Butte County Jail. She was arraigned in Box Butte County District Court on Jan. 25.
The final case Cordell is facing is in Seward County, with charges stemming from a traffic stop on Sept. 14, 2022 in Seward County. During the stop, a K-9 Unit was deployed, and the K-9 indicated the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. Deputies with the Seward County Sheriff’s Office conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle, according to the court records, in which they located glass pipes with methamphetamine residue, a pair of brass knuckles, a cigarette box that held methamphetamine, and pills that were identified as Clonasepam. Deputies also located a small amount of methamphetamine in a fanny pack that Cordell said was hers, according to the court records. Cordell and another individual, who was a passenger in the vehicle, were placed under arrest.
Cordell was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony, which was amended to attempted possession of a controlled substance, a class 1 misdemeanor.