Weston woman pleads not guilty to providing drugs that killed Kronenwetter man, 41

WAUSAU – A 39-year-old Weston woman pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that she gave heroin to a Kronenwetter man who overdosed and died last July.

Lyndy R. Lucas faces charges of first-degree reckless homicide by the delivery of drugs, narcotic drugs possession and drug paraphernalia possession. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing, which would have forced prosecutors to prove they have enough evidence to show a crime probably happened and Lucas probably did it.  

Marathon County Court Commissioner Douglas Bauman found there was enough evidence to continue the case. Lucas is next scheduled for a review hearing July 6.

According to the criminal complaint, just before 4 p.m. July 29, family members found a 41-year-old village of Kronenwetter man dead in a basement bedroom area. The man, who had a history of drug abuse and one previous overdose, was sitting on the floor with his upper body on the edge of the bed. 

The man died of an overdose, according to the complaint, which did not identify the victim by name.

On Sept. 13, a relative of the victim reported finding a Facebook conversation with Lucas on the 41-year-old man's cellphone about Lucas providing drugs that they could take together. The messages continued from July 24 to July 28, and on the afternoon of July 29 Lucas tried three times to reach the man and he didn't respond, according to the criminal complaint.

The medical examiner determined the man died at about 5 a.m. July 29, about 10 hours after the last time he spoke with Lucas, according to the complaint. 

On June 15, officers from the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force arrested Lucas in a Weston apartment she shared with her boyfriend and searched her apartment, finding heroin, according to the complaint. Lucas said the heroin belonged to her. 

If convicted, Lucas faces a maximum sentence of 53 years and seven months in prison. She is being held on a $250,000 cash bail that Marathon County Circuit Judge Gregory Strasser set June 17. 

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Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KMadden715, Instagram at @kmadden715 or Facebook at facebook.com/karen.madden.33.