A Sussex NJ woman who allegedly received advance notice about court-ordered random drug tests has been allowed to remain in the Morris County Drug Court Program.
The suspect, a 23-year-old resident of Sussex Borough, NJ, was charged with heroin possession in Morris County Superior Court in 2015. The suspect managed to avoid prison time in the case by getting accepted into the county’s Drug Court Program, which meant that she would be placed on probation and stay out of jail so long as she met certain requirements.
Drug Court is an alternative sentencing option for non-violent offenders charged with drug crimes in New Jersey. The idea behind Drug Court is that drug addicts need help and treatment to beat their addictions, as opposed to punishment in the form of incarceration.
The suspect in this case was expected to take random drug tests in order to prove that she was trying to beat her drug addiction issues. Although the suspect was charged with crimes in Rockaway Township, Morris County authorities tried to make things easier for her by allowing her to be admitted to the Sussex County Drug Court Program. Since the suspect lives in Sussex County, it was believed that compliance with program requirements would be easier if she was allowed to take drug tests closer to her residence.
However, the suspect reportedly began a sexual relationship with a Sussex County Sheriff’s Officer in exchange for information. According to prosecutors, the officer gave the suspect tips about when the surprise drug tests would occur, as well as drug testing kits so that she could take the tests in advance.
Despite the fact that the suspect was busted violated the terms of her Drug Court treatment plan, she will still be allowed to remain in the program. An additional requirement of the Drug Court Program is that the suspect must complete in-patient treatment for her drug addiction.
To learn more about this case, read the DailyRecord.com article, “Woman Who Got Drug Test Tip-Offs from Officer Kept in Drug Court.”