Pubdate: Wed, 17 Aug 2005
Source: Sioux City Journal (IA)
Copyright: 2005 Sioux City Journal
Contact:  http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/945
Author: Nick Hytrek
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DRUG DEALERS SAY THEY SOLD WENDELSDORF DRUGS

Since they met in 1994 or 1995, Heidi Watkins and Jesse Wendelsdorf bought 
and sold drugs together.

The activity intensified after Wendelsdorf moved into her Spirit Lake, 
Iowa, home in 1999, Watkins testified Tuesday.

"After he moved in, sometimes I would get the meth, sometimes he would, and 
we'd get marijuana and sell it," Watkins said in U.S. District Court in 
Sioux City.

Other methamphetamine dealers testified Tuesday morning that they had sold 
the drug in the late 1990s to Wendelsdorf, 31, who now lives in Sioux 
County and is facing three federal charges related to selling methamphetamine.

"A couple times we went to Heidi's place and Jesse was there and we sold 
them some (meth)," said Donna Peterson, 45, who awaits sentencing on 
federal drug charges and testified against Wendelsdorf as part of her plea 
agreement.

Joel Laubenthal, 36, said he, too, sold Watkins and Wendelsdorf 
methamphetamine at their house. Laubenthal, who's serving a 150-month 
federal sentence for making and selling meth, said Wendelsdorf never helped 
him make the drug.

"He's never cooked (meth) with me. I don't know whether he was or not. I 
didn't see him sell any," Laubenthal said under questioning from 
Wendelsdorf's attorney, Robert Lengeling of Sioux City

Lengeling challenged the motivation for Laubenthal and Peterson to testify. 
Both could have their sentences reduced in exchange for their testimony. 
Both also agreed to take lie detector tests beforehand, suggesting the 
government didn't trust them to tell the truth, Lengeling said.

But Watkins, 34, said Wendelsdorf did sell meth to others. She gave the 
names of several people who were regular customers.

"They'd come in and tell us what they wanted," Watkins said.

Wendelsdorf and Laubenthal once performed part of the meth-making procedure 
in her house, Watkins said. She testified that she came home from the store 
once and found them in the bedroom with several coffee filters of wet 
methamphetamine.

"They were waiting for it to dry. I told them to take it downstairs," said 
Watkins, currently serving a 50-year prison sentence for multiple acts of 
child endangerment, a charge resulting from the January 2000 death of her 
2-year-old daughter, Shelby Duis. Wendelsdorf was charged with and later 
acquitted of murder in the child's death.
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