When people are taken to jail, they are usually searched to ensure they don’t have any drugs or other contraband on them. In some cases, people who are addicted to drugs find ways to bring the drugs into jail when they are serving a sentence. For one Quicksburg, Virginia, woman, the need for drugs seems to outweigh her desire to let the jailers know about the contraband.
The woman was serving a sentence in the Shenandoah County Jail, when someone reported that female inmates were under the influence of drugs. An investigation began, and the female defendant was determined to be the source of the drugs. Authorities found heroin in a syringe hidden in her vagina.
The woman was sentenced to three years in prison on five charges. She entered an Alford plea, meaning she admits the prosecution has enough evidence to convict but that she maintains her innocence, on one count of being a prisoner in possession of a deadly weapon and four charges of manufacturing or distributing heroin.
The judge warned the woman that the prison term was on the low end of what is allowed for these drug-related offenses. He reminded her that when her three-year prison term is over, she must behave throughout her three years of supervised probation and two years of unsupervised probation, or she will face dire consequences.
This woman decided to enter a plea that allowed her to be sentenced without having to admit guilt. Her attorney says that the trial would have been ugly. In cases like this, learning about all plea options can sometimes help defendants to get a sentence on the low end without admitting guilt.
Source: Northern Virginia Daily, “Inmate sentenced after authorities find heroin on her”, June 26, 2014
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