Palouse ‘drug house’ owner faces prison

The owner of the Palouse house that was the object of a drug protest last fall has been sentenced to 36 months in prison in Idaho.

Sheri Dressel is now in the Latah County Jail at Moscow awaiting transfer to an Idaho Department of Corrections facility, either in Boise or Cottonwood, to begin serving her sentence.

“She was certainly involved in the methamphetamine culture in our area,” said Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson.

Dressel’s residence at Palouse became the subject of a community protest last fall after the Oct. 11 suicide of a 16-year-old Palouse teenager, Dylan Mahan.

Palouse residents attended Palouse council meetings to ask the Palouse Police Department, Quad-Cities Drug Task Force and the Whitman County prosecutor’s office to end what they alleged was drug activity at the residence. Residents also picketed outside Dressel’s home.

Mahan died of an overdose of prescription drugs he obtained at his own residence, according to a cause of death finding by the Whitman County coroner.

Palouse Police Chief Jerry Neumann said the neighborhood where Dressel resided in the 300 block of W. Mohr has been very quiet since the protests last fall and even quieter since Dressel was arrested at Moscow in January.

“I would say there is a noticeable decrease in criminal type activity in and or around that part of the neighborhood,” said Neumann.

Dressel was pulled over by an Idaho State trooper in Moscow Jan. 22 and arrested for driving under the influence and for possession of methamphetamines. Dressel was on probation for a 2007 methamphetamine conviction in Latah County, Thompson said.

She was sentenced to up to 10 years, with 36 months mandatory on the probation violation and up to five years, with 18 months mandatory, on the new methamphetamine charge from January.

Dressel and the house on W. Mohr in Palouse became the object of protests last November after the Mahan boy was found Oct. 23 under a bridge near the Highway 272 approach to Palouse. Mahan was believed to have taken his own life Oct. 11.

Mahan’s parents alleged Alexandra Neiman, 21, played a role in the youth’s decision to take his own life. Alexandra Neiman is the daughter of Craig Neiman. They resided with Dressel in the W. Mohr Street residence.

Alexandra Neiman later told the Gazette she considered herself a best friend of Mahan and denied having anything to do with his decision to take his own life.

The Dressel-Nieman residence was also related to the Oct. 25 arrest of Gregory (Cowboy) Early, Deer Park. He was arrested in a car parked behind the Mohr Street house. Officers arrested him after informants told them Early would be making a drug vending trip to this area, according to arrest reports.

Charges against Early in Whitman County were later dropped because he faces charges in U.S. District Court. However, Brandy Brooks, who officers allege was with Early at Palouse last Oct. 25, was subsequently charged with drug possession at Palouse and faces a May 16 trial after pleading not guilty.