Jury trial returns guilty verdict for Silver Valley woman facing drug charges

WALLACE –– A Silver Valley woman is facing up to seven years in prison after a jury returned a guilty verdict last Wednesday in Shoshone County’s District Court.  

Jamie Kleinbeck, 38, was found guilty of felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia after previously pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges from the same case.  

According to court records, the charges stemmed from a May 2024 incident where Kleinbeck reportedly called emergency services and demanded to speak with the FBI concerning fabricated allegations against deputies with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office. She then barricaded herself inside her residence on Pinecreek Road as law enforcement arrived at the scene.  

Officers from three local law enforcement agencies responded to the call, including Osburn and Kellogg Police, and the SCSO. OPD Lt. Jason Woody was the first officer at the home and allegedly attempted to coax Kleinbeck out of the home to no avail. He then alerted other responding officers that he believed her animated state and the allegations she was making were potentially the result of drug use.  

The SCSO then deployed K-9 unit Lulu who alerted them to Kleinbeck’s trailer and prompted them to secure a search warrant for the home.  

While executing the search warrant, officers discovered various items of drug paraphernalia and controlled substances throughout the trailer, including marijuana in the form of dab oil, psylocibin mushrooms, and methamphetamine inside of a pipe. They also found many forms of paraphernalia for smoking or ingesting different drugs.  

Kleinbeck, who had pleaded not guilty to all four drug charges in September, changed her plea during a pre-trial hearing on March 3, pleading guilty to both misdemeanor charges and retaining her not guilty pleas for the two felony charges. The two charges she pleaded guilty to carried significantly lesser penalties than the other two charges.  

Shoshone County Deputy Prosecutor Britney Jacobs viewed this strategy as an attempt by Kleinbeck to circumnavigate taking full accountability for the crimes she was charged with. 

“This trial tactic is sometimes used by defense in order to portray to a jury that a defendant has taken responsibility for things which were theirs, bolstering their argument that the remaining items must not have been theirs,” Jacobs explained. “The tactic can sometimes present difficulties for the State in prosecution as evidentiary rules during trial prohibit the State from informing the jury about the severity of charges. Thus, there is no mechanism for the State to reveal to a jury that a defendant merely pled to lower-level misdemeanors and may be denying the felonies because of the higher penalties.” 

Despite these challenges, Jacobs was able to convince the jury that Kleinbeck did possess all the drugs that were discovered in her home, and she was found guilty. 

“The Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Osburn Police Department, Kellogg Police Department, and Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office for their collaborative efforts in continuing the fight against controlled substances in our community,” Jacobs said following the trial.  

Kleinbeck is scheduled for sentencing on May 19, where she faces up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines for possession of methamphetamine.