COSHOCTON − A Coshocton woman was sentenced Monday in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court by Judge Robert Batchelor for drug trafficking.
Christina M. Smith, also known as Christina Marie Parks, 37, was indicted in March with one count of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine, a second-degree felony, from an incident on March 1 with specification the offense took place within the vicinity of a juvenile.
Smith was taken into custody following the execution of a search warrant by the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office in the 1000 block of Main Street. Recovered were drugs, drug-related items and cash.
Smith entered a guilty plea to the charge on Dec. 13 with the Coshocton County Prosecutor's Office agreeing to a joint sentencing recommendation of 6 to 9 years in prison and it would not oppose a pre-sentencing investigation.
Smith received an indefinite term of 6 to 9 years in prison with the minimum term mandatory. She was given credit for 269 days of local incarceration and must serve 18 months to 3 years of post release control. No fine or driver's license suspension was imposed.
Smith nor her attorney, Marie Seiber, spoke on Smith's behalf in court.
Batchelor noted Smith had a prior conviction for trafficking in cocaine and crack cocaine in 2008 and three counts of possession of drugs in 2017.
"You have an opportunity to change here. There's a penalty that's associated with this, obviously, but you're going to need to make some decisions. If this is how you want to live the rest of your life, this is the best possible outcome if you keep doing it the way you do it. You're just going to be in and out of prison," Batchelor told Smith. "The other outcome is you're just going to be another Jane Doe in the morgue because of an overdose."
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Judge: 'You have an opportunity to change'
