Woman convicted of drug charge in case of contraband candles at Nebraska prison

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A woman accused of smuggling drugs into a Nebraska prison has struck a plea deal with prosecutors.

Leanne Strong, 54, of Omaha pleaded no contest and was found guilty Thursday of a reduced charge of delivery of a controlled substance.

In exchange, prosecutors dropped three other felony charges, including unlawful acts regarding an inmate.

SEE ALSO: Women hid meth, phones in candles to smuggle them into Nebraska prison, affidavit says

Court documents say in 2021, the Reception and Treatment Center received a package for an inmate that was filled with seemingly innocent items.

It contained 11 candles, incense and religious clothes, according to an arrest affidavit.

But the package went through an X-ray scanner, which found unknown items in the candles.

The Nebraska State Patrol said investigators discovered a cornucopia of contraband in the candles: 22.6 grams of synthetic cannabis compounds, 57 grams of methamphetamine, glass pipes, rolling papers, vape pens and cellphones.

Authorities determined that Strong and another woman, Dawnelle Vaughn, made the candles to sneak the items into the prison.

Vaughn, 39, was convicted in September of delivery of a controlled substance and attempted delivery of a controlled substance.

She was sentenced to three to six years in prison.

Stong will be sentenced Jan. 7. She faces anywhere from one to 50 years behind bars.