CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — A Clarion woman who smuggled suboxone into the Clarion County Jail was sentenced to up to four years in state prison.
On Wednesday, February 6, President Judge James Arner sentenced 37-year-old Rebecca Leigh Phillips, of Clarion, to two to four years in state prison on one second-degree felony count of contraband/controlled substance.
She will receive credit for 147 days served.
Phillips pleaded guilty to the above charge on January 9, 2019.
As a result of her plea negotiation, the following charges were dismissed:
- Possession Controlled Substance, Contraband/Inmate, Felony 2
- Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
- Possession of Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor
Details of the case:
According to a criminal complaint, Deputy Warden Sprankle, of the Clarion County Jail, contacted Clarion County Chief Detective William Peck IV on August 22 to advise him of an incident that occurred overnight. He stated that a known inmate who had been housed in the jail for a period of time was behaving strangely and had possibly consumed some controlled substances. He indicated that on August 21 the known inmate had received a new cellmate — Rebecca L. Phillips.
The known inmate refused to take a drug test, and Phillips was removed from the cell and placed into the intake cell area.
Deputy Warden Sprankle also provided Chief Detective Peck with a letter from another inmate stating that Phillips had drugs hidden inside her person.
Chief Detective Peck interviewed Phillips’ cellmate on August 22, and the cellmate said that Phillips provided her with a piece of suboxone.
Chief Detective Peck and Deputy Warden Sprankle then spoke to Phillips in the intake area of the jail and confronted her about having controlled substances on her or inside her body.
According to the complaint, Phillips first denied having any drugs, but after Chief Detective Peck explained that she could be transported to the Clarion Hospital for a scan, Phillips admitted that she had suboxone inside her vagina and also said she gave her cellmate a piece of the suboxone because she “felt bad for her.”
Phillips then agreed to remove the drugs on her own.
According to the complaint, she was escorted to a restroom by a female corrections officer, and she removed some padding and a small plastic baggie from her vagina that contained two pieces of suboxone. The corrections officer placed the items into an evidence bag which was then seized and logged into evidence at the Clarion County District Attorney’s Office.
Phillips was arraigned on Wednesday, September 12, in Magisterial District Judge Timothy P. Schill’s office.
