Appearing before Chief District Court Judge Doug Walker on Tuesday, March 17, Jasmine Ramsey, of Cortez, again pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and medical practitioner in possession of an illegal substance. Court officials fabricated the drug charge last fall, so Ramsey could avoid harsher punishment.
“You have skated amazingly on these charges,” Walker told Ramsey on Tuesday.
At this week’s deferred judgment revocation hearing, Ramsey admitted to violating the terms of an 18-month supervised probation term handed down in December. The violations included testing positive for opiates and marijuana along with another misdemeanor theft charge she picked up in February.
Police reports reveal that Ramsey admitted to stealing $245 from her employer in mid-January. In Municipal Court, she received a suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay restitution and court costs on the theft charge.
Appearing in District Court, Ramsey was again placed on supervised probation with a stipulation that she be admitted to an in-patient drug treatment facility.
“I’m not willing to put up with you anymore,” Walker told Ramsey.
According to court records, Ramsey was first arrested after breaking into the home of a Montezuma County sheriff’s deputy on Nov. 1, 2013, and charged with multiple felony burglary and drug offenses.
Days later on Nov. 7, she was arrested and charged again with similar crimes after breaking into a residence on County Road 21. In that case, Ramsey was granted a 12-month deferred prosecution on Dec. 11, 2013, with a stipulation not to commit additional criminal acts.
Two months later in February 2014, Ramsey was again arrested and charged with similar offenses in connection to breaking into the residence of a local public official. In all three cases, Ramsey allegedly tried to steal prescription medications. All the felony charges were subsequently dismissed as the result of a plea deal.
Prosecutors ultimately gave Ramsey a plea deal on the lesser charges after victims told the court that they wanted the defendant to receive treatment rather than a criminal record.
Court records show Ramsey entered an in-patient drug treatment facility in June 2014. She was suspended from the program four months later, her attorney said.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com