ROCK SPRINGS — A woman who faced more than 20 years behind bars recently saw her felony charges get dismissed, receiving jail time and probation as part of her sentence in Sweetwater County Circuit Court last week. 

Sasha Bell faced felony charges of property destruction and interference with a peace officer, along with misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and interference with a peace officer. Bell pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charges while the felony charges were dismissed by the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office as part of a plea agreement.

On Aug. 20, Bell was ordered to pay $1,320 in fines and fees. She was sentenced to serve 365 days in jail, with 275 days suspended for driving while under the influence and 180 days with 90 days suspended for interference with an officer. She was given 11 days credit for time served and was ordered to serve 79 days at the Sweetwater County Detention Center. She was also placed on one year of supervised probation and two years of unsupervised probation, with the two terms to be served concurrently. 

According to the initial court filings, Bell was originally arrested after Rock Springs Police Department Officer Cody Saloga observed a silver Chevrolet Tahoe drive into the driver side of a Chevrolet Silverado. The driver, Bell, was arrested on suspicion for driving under the influence and Saloga noted the damage to the Silverado to be more than $1,000 – the amount that is Wyoming’s threshold for felony-level property destruction charges. The documents also claimed Bell attempted to swing her elbow towards Saloga’s face  while being placed in Saloga’s police vehicle for transport to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County and later attempted to bite Saloga numerous times, which led to the felony interference charge.