Arizona couple plead guilty to fentanyl possession at Mitchell-area campground, to be sentenced in August

MITCHELL — Two people from Arizona have pleaded guilty to drug charges after an April disturbance at a campground near Mitchell led authorities to believe they were distributing fentanyl in South Dakota.

As part of a plea agreement, Jamie Bosone, 37, and Daniel Smythe, 38, both of Mesa, Arizona, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of fentanyl and keeping a place for use or sale of controlled substances. In return, all other charges — including elder abuse, child abuse and other felony offenses — will be dismissed if a Davison County judge accepts the agreement.

According to Davison County State’s Attorney Jim Miskimins, the charges stemmed from an April 10 disturbance at Bett’s Campground that involved an elderly woman who authorities were called to perform a safety check on. Upon arriving, officers located Daniel Smythe, a Arizona resident who was staying with Bosone and her 4-year-old child in an RV.

“The nature of the disturbance was that (the officers) were called to do a safety check on an elderly woman who was outside in the cold. Based on the early investigation, law enforcement got a search warrant for the RV and executed that warrant and found Ms. Bosone was in possession of approximately eight grams of fentanyl,” Davison County State’s Attorney Jim Miskmins said during Bosone’s hearing on Tuesday morning. “Ms. Bosone had a 4-year-old child in the RV, which contained those items that were kept for possession or sale. Some of those paraphernalia items were in the nature of a scale.”

Attorneys for both Bosone and Smythe requested a bond reduction in a renewed effort for either parent to attend custody hearings with the South Dakota Department of Social Services.

Miskimins opposed any bond modifications, citing the “severe nature” of the charges Bosone pleaded guilty to and her criminal history. He alleged that Bosone had once absconded from past court proceedings in Hawaii that involved matters with the Department of Child Protective Service. Judge Chris Giles denied any bond modification requests, adding his concern they could be a flight risk.

With bond remaining at $10,000 for both Bosone and Smythe, the duo are set to be sentenced on Aug. 2. If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.