The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

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March 2, 2013

Woman sentenced for drug dealing

By CHERIL VERNON Palestine Herald-Press

PALESTINE — A Palestine woman with a history of drug dealing was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday by 349th State District Judge Pam Foster Fletcher.

Leslie Ann Deltoro, 34, plead guilty to delivery of a controlled substance penalty group 1 between 4 and 200 grams on Dec. 4, 2012.

On April 8, 2011, Deltoro was arrested as part of a joint operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, after authorities received information that she was selling methamphetamine  out of the motel room she was staying in. Under surveillance, authorities following her to a local business, where an officer observed her selling methamphetamine to another individual.

Authorities recovered a little more than 6 grams of methamphetamine from the buyer, Julius Davis, 36, of Palestine, who was arrested and eventually plead guilty to the charge. Deltoro was stopped and officers found more than $1,000 in her possession, arresting her for delivery of a controlled substance penalty group 1 between 4 and 200 grams.

“After they arrested her, they went to her motel room and got a search warrant, recovering over 20 grams of meth out of the motel room,” said Stanley Sokolowski, Anderson County assistant district attorney, who represented the state during the presentation of evidence in the sentencing.

Another woman was present in the motel room, Betty Gallegos, 35, of Palestine, and also was charged with delivery of a controlled substance penalty group 1 between 4 and 200 grams.

Gallegos plead guilty to the charge, but has not been sentenced yet, according to Sokolowski.

Deltoro’s baby, around 6 months old at the time, also was in the motel room, Sokolowski said.

This isn’t the first time Deltoro has served a sentence at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She was convicted in 2007 in Hildago County for burglary of a habitation. While on probation for that charge, she was convicted of firearm by felon and delivery of a controlled substance with intent to deliver in Anderson County, according to Sokolowski. Her probation was revoked and Hildago County sentenced her to four years for burglary of a habitation and another five years for the Anderson County cases.

In addition, she was involved in two drug buys involving confidential informants in 2009, Sokolowski said.

When authorities served a pair of sealed indictments against Deltoro in May 2012 for the April 2011 charge, officers found more methamphetamine in the house she was located in.

“When they arrested her that day she had $1,100 on her. When they searched the room, they found 25 grams of methamphetamine and almost $1,600 in the room,” Sokolowski said. “At the sentencing hearing, we called Gary Wilbanks who used to be with the Drug Investigation Unit and is now with the Office of the Inspector General of TDCJ. He detailed her history of dealing narcotics.”

Sokolowski said he was pleased with the sentence Deltoro received.

“Anytime you can get a drug dealer off the street, it’s a good day,” he said.

Deltoro will have to serve at least one-fourth of her time before she will be eligible for parole, Sokolowski said.

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