« Ind. Courts - "Battle of wills between Vanderburgh County's judges and highest-ranking elected officials over control of city and county computer services " | Main | Ind. Decisions - Supreme Court issues one »
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Ind. Decisions - "Jury convicts woman in meth ingredient trial"
Bryan Corbin of the Evansville Courier& Press writes today:
A Princeton, Ind., woman has been convicted in one of the first jury trials for purchasing too much of the active ingredient for methamphetamine, a prosecutor said.A Gibson County jury deliberated just 15 minutes Monday before finding Jacqueline S. Osborne guilty of two counts of illegal purchase of more than three grams of pseudoephedrine.
The new state law to limit drugstore customers from purchasing large quantities of the cold-and-allergy remedy - and thus curb illegal meth production - took effect less than a year ago.
The law limits customers to buying no more than three grams of pseudoephedrine, or a related drug, ephedrine, within a one-week period. Both decongestants can be converted into methamphetamine, an illegal stimulant.
According to Gibson County Prosecutor Robert Krieg, Osborne was accused of purchasing 4.08 grams of pseudoephedrine between March 4 and 10. Then she allegedly purchased 3.84 more grams between April 2 and 4 - a total of nearly 8 grams, Krieg said.
That's the equivalent of about 266 pills (or more than 11 boxes) of 30mg Sudafed. Nearly 8 grams of pseudoephedrine would cumulatively be enough to produce about one batch of meth,
based on a formula that narcotics detectives use.
Osborne, 42, was not accused of possessing or manufacturing meth. Charged instead with two Class C misdemeanor counts of illegally purchasing pseudoephedrine, Osborne was found guilty. Judge Walter Palmer will sentence her July 5; she faces up to 60 days in jail on each count, and a fine of up to $500.
Krieg said the case is believed to be the first time in Indiana that charges filed under the new illegal-purchase law have gone to a jury trial.
A joint investigation by the Evansville Courier & Press and WEHT-News25 last fall found a loophole in the state law. Pharmacy customers easily could go from store to store, signing the stores' logbooks, and yet cumulatively buy more than the three-gram limit in a week's time, the hidden-camera investigation found.
As a result, narcotics detectives in Evansville and Vanderburgh County said they created their own database of customers' pseudoephedrine purchases and subsequently made arrests locally for violating the new state law.
Krieg said that in Gibson County, police made several meth-related arrests by pursuing customers whom records showed had purchased more than the legal limit of pseudoephedrine.
"While the law is an inconvenience for law-abiding citizens only wishing to purchase allergy medication without the hassle and costs of obtaining a prescription, this law has been a very effective tool that law enforcement can use to make a serious dent in the meth manufacturing trade," Krieg said in a news release.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 28, 2006 07:31 AM
Posted to Ind. Trial Ct. Decisions