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Joe P. Asher

Staff Writer

A Cumberland woman was sentenced to two years in prison in Harlan Circuit Court on Thursday.

Judge James Bowling sentenced Brandi L. Couch, 33, on a charge of first-degree promoting contraband.

The charge stemmed from an incident that occurred at the Harlan County Detention Center approximately nine months ago.

The indictment states that on Jan. 4, Couch “introduced a dangerous contraband into a detention facility or penitentiary, the Harlan County Detention Center.”

According to previous Enterprise reports, Kentucky State Police Det. Kenny Abner charged Couch along with four other individuals who were allegedly involved in the activity. All were charged with first-degree promoting contraband.

Abner said Couch mailed a Suboxone strip to Rachel Osborne, who is lodged in the Harlan County Detention Center on a murder charge.

Abner explained at the time how this was done.

“Staff at the jail discovered the new scheme,” Abner said. “People are doing this by slitting the photograph open and sliding a Suboxone strip inside and gluing the photograph back together.”

Couch and Osborne were charged along with Melinda Starrett, 20, of Lejunior, who allegedly mailed Suboxone strips to the jail to Joshua Starrett, 22, of Lejunior, and Terry Henry, 36, of Calvin.

Bowling followed the commonwealth’s attorney’s recommendation of two years in prison. Couch will receive credit for time previously served.

In other court activity:

* William Witt, 42, of Sunshine, was sentenced to two years in prison, probated for four years, supervised, on charges of trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school;

* Jessica Dixon, 26, of Cumberland, was sentenced to a total of two years in prison on charges of possession of marijuana, trafficking marijuana and tampering with physical evidence;

* Kenneth Cox, 38, of Cumberland, was sentenced to a total of two years in prison on charges of second-degree trafficking a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Cox was granted probation for a period of five years, unsupervised.

Reach Joe P. Asher at 606-573-4510 or jasher@heartlandpublications.com