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LISBON --An East Liverpool woman charged with forging prescriptions for three different drugs in 2014 was sentenced to nine months in prison on Friday.
Elizabeth Coulter, 36, Michigan Avenue, told county Common Pleas Judge Scott Washam she had "made a mistake" and was "desperate" at the time.
"I have come far. I am out of that hole," she said.
County assistant prosecuting attorney John Gamble said that Coulter was writing illegal prescriptions for her boyfriend, and likely herself, during that time.
The prescriptions were written several times in May, June and July of 2014, for various amounts of percocet, adderall, and oxycodone.
Coulter was indicted by the grand jury in 2016 on charges of deception to obtain dangerous drugs and illegal processing of drug documents.
In May she pleaded guilty to three counts of deception and four counts of illegal processing.
On Friday, her attorney, Frederic Naragon, recommended probation instead of prison time, but Gamble felt prison was necessary.
"This is a serious course of conduct … this was not an isolated incident," Gamble said.
Washam opted for prison time both due to the fact that the crimes happened on more than one occasion and because of a statement Coulter made during the investigation that concerned him, and that was that committing the crimes was "easy money."
She faced up to 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine if all the possible sentences were to run consecutively.
On another case, Washam granted an East Liverpool man three years intensive intervention as part of a plea agreement.
Zachary E. Bangor, 25, Highland Colony Street, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. He was indicted in February for having less a gram of heroin in his possession on May 10.
Bangor's attorney, James Hartford, pointed out that Bangor has a master's degree in business and plans to continue his education.
Washam then asked Bangor why he decided to turn to drugs when he was pursuing education.
"Why are you throwing your life away? What happened? This isn't just a one-time incident, it is a progression that continued and continued," Washam said, adding that the last drug crime Bangor committed was in June.
Hartford said that the problem appears to have started due to a prescription medication for ADHD.
"For some time Zach was on meds for ADHD and it seems that is when things started. ADHD kept him awake, he couldn't sleep, and the meds led to heroin," Hartford explained.
Washam said he wanted to make sure that Bangor is committed to staying off illegal drugs, and asked him several times if he would be serious about getting help.
He went on to say that he has seen many people come through the court and say they will do better, but they don't, and then they end up dying of an overdose.
"I am not singling you out, I am truly concerned. My concern is that you don't walk out of here and continue on heroin," he said.
Bangor said he understood and that he will be successful with a treatment program.
Washam granted the three-year intensive probation.
If convicted, Bangor faced a minimum of six months and a maximum of 12 months in prison, a six-month license suspension and $2,500 fine.