Contributed Photo/Courtesy GCSO: Roxanne Escobedo, 53, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after she sold heroin to an undercover officer.
By Jon Johnson
jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com
SAFFORD – Roxanne Escobedo, 53, was sentenced Feb. 5 to 17 years in prison for selling heroin.
Escobedo previously pleaded guilty to the sale of a narcotic drug – a Class-2 felony. In addition, she also pleaded guilty to a separate case of transportation of a narcotic drug for sale – a Class-2 felony – and received a five-year probation sentence to be served upon her release from the Arizona Department of Corrections.
According to a Graham County Attorney’s Office press release, Escobedo was caught selling heroin to an undercover officer on July 31, 2019. Her second conviction was related to a traffic stop on Sept. 11, 2019, in which she was found in possession of 54 grams of heroin. Escobedo was on probation during both offenses.
Graham County Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Travis Ragland sentenced Escobedo and the case was prosecuted by Graham County Deputy County Attorney Garet Kartchner.
“We wanted to send a strong message to the drug dealers in our community that these types of crimes are not welcome in Graham County,” Kartchner said after the sentencing. “This was an individual who was transporting large quantities of drugs while on probation. The officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety dedicated numerous hours in investigating these crimes and crafted an excellent case for our office to prosecute.”
Graham County Chief Deputy County Attorney L. Scott Bennett added that an effort was made to make an example of Escobedo.
“There are some people (who) we just have to make an example of,” Bennett said. “Ms. Escobedo had been given her chances, but those who continue to peddle that poison to our community – we just are not going to stand for that.”
Escobedo will be remanded to the Arizona Department of Corrections to serve her 17-year sentence.
