Temecula Duo Sentenced To Prison Following Narcotics Convictions

TEMECULA, CA — A man and woman from Temecula were serving a two-year sentence in state prison Wednesday for possession of a controlled substance for sale, according to court records.

Richard Dennis Murphy, 38, and Lisa Marie Wehus, 35, were convicted Tuesday. They were arrested on June 2, 2022 and charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance for sale and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Wehus was additionally charged with knowledge of suspended commercial driver's license.

Both Murphy and Wehus pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance for sale and pleaded not guilty to all other charges.

Murphy and Wehus were convicted on one count of possession of a controlled substance for sale, and were sentenced to two years in state prison. All other charges were dismissed, according to court records.

According to Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Sean Liebrand, about 1 p.m. on June 2, 2022, patrol deputies stopped the vehicle that Murphy was driving in the 28000 block of Jefferson Avenue for an unspecified traffic violation.

Murphy and Wehus were detained for questioning, culminating in a search of the car, which resulted in "a large amount of fentanyl, methamphetamine, paraphernalia, digital scales and a replica handgun" being seized, Liebrand said.

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Temecula residents Richard Murphy and Lisa Wehus both have criminal histories in Riverside County, court records show.