A Laramie woman will avoid prison after receiving a teddy bear containing methamphetamine in the mail.

Julie Ann Nickell, 49, was sentenced Monday in Albany County District Court to three years of supervised probation and 100 hours of community service in lieu of a suspended 3-5 year prison term.

Nickell pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance methamphetamine on Sept. 22.  The prosecution dropped a felony charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in exchange for the guilty plea.

"You were dealing, and we both know that," said Judge Jeffrey Donnell.  “Today you get the break of your life.  Do not throw it away.”

According to court documents, a sheriff’s deputy in San Bernardino, CA executed a search warrant on a FedEx package on Oct. 16, 2014.  The package was addressed to “Julie Knickel” in Laramie.

Inside the package was a teddy bear, and inside the teddy bear was .95 ounces of methamphetamine.

The next day, agents of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation made arrangements with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office to have to package shipped and delivered to Nickell at her residence in Laramie.  The affidavit states that a special agent got an anticipatory search warrant for Nickell’s residence on Oct. 20, and the package was delivered by another special agent that afternoon.

Nickell accepted the package, and agents executed the search warrant.  Inside the house they recovered the methamphetamine from the package and a small amount of marijuana.

According to court documents, Brian McGarvey arrived at Nickell's residence as officers were conducting their search.  McGarvey allegedly said in a police interview that he knew Nickell was getting methamphetamine through the mail, and that the package was supposed to arrive on Friday, Oct. 17.

The affidavit states that McGarvey said Nickell was getting worried because the package had not arrived, and that he had come over to buy a half gram of methamphetamine after a phone call from Nickell.

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