An Emporia woman facing charges of theft and illegal dentistry in one of two local cases will have a pretrial hearing next month — just days before a preliminary hearing in her other case.
Iris Sandoval-Flores had a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Lyon County District Court. Judge Laura Miser set the pretrial for Sept. 12, saying Sandoval-Flores can leave Lyon County as part of her bond conditions if she signs a waiver of extradition and gets approval from her bond supervisor. Judge Miser also says all pretrial motions need to be filed before the Sept. 12 hearing.
Sandoval-Flores is accused of stealing dental supplies and prescription drugs from CareArc between August 2024 and this past May, as well as practicing dentistry or dental hygiene without a license between January 2023 and this past May.
Sandoval-Flores also has a prelim Sept. 15 on charges of human smuggling, identity theft and dealing in false ID documents. Prosecutors had originally charged Sandoval-Flores with unlicensed practice of dentistry or dental hygiene but dropped that charge so it could be refiled separately.
Several co-defendants have upcoming hearings:
*Friday: Francisco Pichardo-Machado on charges of making false information, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession
*Monday: Hugo Cardona-Argueta on charges of identity theft, interference with law enforcement, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession; Martin Pichardo-Machado on charges of making false information, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession
*Aug. 22: Martha Lopez-Alvarado on charges of identity theft, interference with law enforcement, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession
Court proceedings have not progressed against three defendants after all allegedly failed to appear in Lyon County District Court earlier this year:
*Rigoberto Sandoval-Sandoval and Ana Raquel Figueroa, charged with unlicensed practice of dentistry or dental hygiene and unlawful obtaining a prescription-only drug
*Edwar Benavidez-Sanchez, listed on the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal as Jerlin Jeovanny Cerna-Arguello, charged with identity theft, identity fraud, making false information and dealing in false ID documents
The larger case, announced in May, accuses the defendants of producing, supplying and using false documents like drivers licenses and Social Security cards, as well as illegally harboring a person illegally possibly for exploitation purposes and having an unlicensed dental operation inside the Sandoval-Flores home between January 2024 and this past spring.
