Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - There was a last-minute plea deal today in a Rochester criminal case involving thousands of fentanyl pills.

Court records show 26-year-old Samantha Jo Pittelko was scheduled to stand trial on a criminal complaint charging her with first-degree drug possession. The felony charge stemmed from a drug bust executed by Rochester police last summer.

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According to the criminal complaint, Rochester police investigators executed a search warrant at a residence in the Homestead Village townhome complex in southeast Rochester. The court document says the warrant was obtained after police conducted surveillance of the residence and documented "consistent short-term traffic" indicative of narcotics sales. The charges also state that a confidential informant was able to purchase drugs from a man living at the residence.

Police say Pittelko also lived in the home and was arrested there when investigators executed the search warrant. The complaint states that the search led to the seizure of more than 2,300 fentanyl pills, along with 12 grams of a white powder that tested positive for fentanyl, and a large amount of cash. A loaded .45 caliber handgun was also discovered under a couch cushion.

READ MORE: Thousands of Fentanyl Pills Seized in Rochester Drug Bust

The man connected to the alleged drug deal with the police informant was identified as 30-year-old David Ansell Dorenzo. The criminal complaint indicates he was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Steele County when he arrived later that day via shuttle bus from the Twin Cities. The court document says police found him in possession of a loaded handgun, despite being prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior conviction.

Following her arrest, Pittelko gave a statement to investigators and admitted she knew about the pills found in the home. She told police that Dorenzo was selling them but denied participating in any drug sales, stating, “I do not sell or nothing other than obviously, this little thing that I got myself in with him.”

Just as jury selection was scheduled to begin, Pittelko entered a guilty plea to a third-degree drug possession charge in exchange for the dismissal of the more serious first-degree charge. The court ordered a presentence investigation and scheduled her sentencing hearing for August.

Dorenzo is charged with first-degree drug sales and possession, second-degree drug possession, and illegal possession of a firearm as a person convicted of a crime of violence. His case is still pending, but he was recently given a 15-month prison sentence for violating the terms of his probation in a previous felony drug possession case.

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