Marietta resident Elizabeth Beck, 26, stood and cried Monday as she entered a guilty plea on two fifth-degree felony counts of possession of drugs, one each for heroin and cocaine.
Beck had remained composed as Washington County Common Pleas Court Judge Ed Lane asked Beck if she understood the many implications a guilty plea would carry.
Beck and her husband Deane, 32, both of 734 Lancaster St., were accused of selling heroin to an undercover task force agent in March 2011. While executing a search warrant, the Major Crimes Task Force also found cocaine and heroin in the home.
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JASMINE ROGERS
The Marietta Times
Pleading guilty to two-fifth degree felony counts of possession of drugs on Monday, Elizabeth Beck, 26, of Marietta, broke into tears.
"A search turned up a pop can which had been used to heat up heroin and some scales with cocaine residue on it," said Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Graham.
Agents had honed in on the Becks after receiving a tip that they had recently made a trip to Columbus to buy heroin, said Graham. Deane Beck faces the same charges as his wife and has pleaded not guilty.
Beck was originally indicted in April on two fifth-degree felony counts of trafficking in drugs in addition to the two counts of possession. However, both trafficking charges were dropped as part of Monday's plea agreement.
"We have agreed to dismiss counts one and two and not file a community control violation on the current case if the defendant pays back the $350 buy money and pleads guilty to the two counts of possession," said Graham.
When asked if she had ever undergone treatment for any mental health related issues, Beck answered "yes."
When Lane later asked if Beck was familiar with L & P Counseling services, Beck responded that she was currently a client there.
"I need you to understand that if you plead guilty today, you are giving up a lot of rights," explained Lane before Beck entered her plea.
The two felony charges to which Beck pleaded guilty carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and a five-year license suspension.
"In your case, I'm not required to send you to prison," Lane elaborated.
Beck could have been sentenced to anything ranging from the maximum penalties to time in the county jail, to required counseling, to community control, he added.
Though Lane could have sentenced Beck Monday, he withheld sentencing until she can undergo evaluations and a pre-sentencing investigation is conducted.
"I expect two things. One, I expect you not to get re-arrested and two, to cooperate with these evaluations," said Lane.
Beck is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 29 at 8 a.m. in Lane's courtroom.
