Sherry Johnston, mother of Levi Johnston -- Bristol Palin's former finace -- today pleaded guilty to one count of possessing OxyContin with intent to deliver. Palmer Superior Court Judge Eric Smith sentenced her to five years, with two suspended and three to serve.
A bail request was denied and Johnston was remanded immediately to Hiland Mountain Correctional Center to begin serving her sentence.
Five other counts were dropped under a plea agreement reached with the state.
I don't like this. This stinks to high heaven.
No way did this lady deserve such a harsh sentence.
Mother of two, first time offense, severe medical problems, where is the compassion? And WHO pushed for such a harsh punishment?
Any guesses?
Update: The AP has more.
Update 2: More from ADN:
She is scheduled to be sentenced in November. The plea deal calls for her to be sentenced to five years in prison, with two years suspended. Her attorney, Rex Butler, said the deal includes a three years of probation after prison.
"That's pretty," Johnston said as a court officer placed pink handcuffs -- a gift from an Arizona sheriff -- around her wrists. Court officers can use their own handcuffs, and the pink ones are a trademark of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix's Maricopa County, along with the pink boxer shorts he issues to jail inmates.
WTF is with the pink handcuffs? Are they really from that asshole Joe Arpaio? And why would anybody allow such a degrading thing to be placed on this woman? I am getting more and more pissed off the more I read about this.
Update 3: I just got a tip. Things may not be a dire as we first believed. Stay tuned.
what is her previous criminal history? If this is a first offense that seems like an extremely harsh sentence.
ReplyDeletefor a first time offense, and a small amount its obscene. FIVE YEARS reduced to THREE YEARS IN PRISON FOR A FEW PILLS??
ReplyDeleteWhat a waste of resources. Meanwhile sarah steals and gets away with it.
That's terrible! Poor Sherry! I remember at one point they were going to try to get her home confinement so she could serve her time at home due to her disability (chronic pain suffering is no joke!) Has that been thrown out the window?
ReplyDeleteIf so, who do we know with a) a neverending grudge against the Johnstons b)an outsized psychopathic personality and c) the scary influence over officials in Alaska to make this sentence happen?
Hmm. Starts with S (short for Shit for Brains.)
Best of luck to the Johnston family, hope they can appeal the verdict - we readers support Levi, Mercede, and Sherry! We know what insane crap they've had to deal with with having Satan herself for an in-law.
Incredible! For a first offense and limited amount? It has $arah's prints all over it.
ReplyDeleteLevi, please write the book now so we can be done with her!
How could Rex Butler let this happen? Doesn't he have a comment about it? Seems OUTRAGEOUS to me, esp in view of the apparently well documented substance abuse by the Palin teens.
ReplyDeleteThis DOES seem unusually harsh. Do we know exactly what the 5 counts (that were dropped) were? I hope Rex Butler will make a statement about this. IF this is tied to the Wasilla Mafia aka Palins, it seems likely to backfire because an irate Levi/Mercedes cannot be a good thing for Scarah. There must be plenty of people willing to help the Johnston kids write the tell-all book - PLEASE do it Levi and Mercedes!
ReplyDeleteYou can't appeal a verdict on a guilty plea. Her lawyer is no fool, and I think she had to have known ahead of time what the anticipated sentence was (she would have been given an opportunity not to enter her change of plea if the judge intended to impose a sentence greater than whatever the parties had agreed to as a sentencing recommendation: you don't enter a guilty plea and forego your right to trial and appeal unless there's something far worse at risk if you go to trial).
ReplyDeleteWhich suggests to me that she had hanging over her head at very least a credible threat of a far worse sentencing recommendation had she gone to trial, and must have had good reason to fear that in order to plead guilty and know she was going to miss three years of at least one grandchild's life.
Sounds very, very wrong to me.
Could be that the reason why she doesn't have to serve 5 years is because she made a deal with Palin to not talk. Maybe even a deal with Levi to not talk. Sure will find out shortly!
ReplyDeleteIndicates the fixing of the justice system and the sickness of the whole country.
Not a bit surprising in the land of the gun.
Cheers from Canada!
Always thought it would be Mercedes who would blow the lid off this whole ugly Palin scam.
ReplyDeleteGryphen,
ReplyDeleteI don't know ' how ' you could do it but maybe Shannyn can put in a word at MSNBC with her connections. She will be live with KO tonight as per per AKM's twitter.
Somehow do a story or get the word out the the larger lower 48 MSM about what is happening there. This should not be hidden away in Alaska. Find a way to spread the word. This makes about as much sense as FleaBag and Crazy Lady turning in a list of 15 total Gifts. The word for it is " BULLSHIT "... in both cases.
I hope Levi and Mercede go for broke and tell all. The wait till November may be a way to keep them from saying anything. Is there pressure on from outside of AK for this also?
ReplyDeletePalin should be in there instead of Sherry.
10cats in MD.
I'll just say that I used to live in a neighborhood out here in Wasilla that had a BAD daytime-pill-selling problem.
ReplyDeleteThere is a silent but HUGE business selling heroin out here too - and its a companion drug to the Oxy. The opiate high. I think the same group(s) sells both.
I'm not against 3 years in jail for selling those pills.
I see the SAME people standing in line at every pharmacy out here picking them up - and waiting for each other at school bus stops in the afternoon hours - I witnessed teenagers on 4-wheelers running these pills for the adults, because their regular vehicles became TOO familiar at pharmacies and gas station hangouts etc. I see these drugged out parents at school functions - kids humiliated by their shocking appearance.
Sherry Johnston might be the most famous pillhead from the valley, but she isn't special and I think its time for the tolerance of it to end.
Do your drugs in the privacy of your own home. Don't sell them off your front porch, don't con your doctor into prescribing bigger and bigger doses so you can sell some on the side, or make them easy to access for the teenagers (or younger) in your home. Stop blaming your shitty behavior on medical problems - lots of people suffer everyday without committing crimes.
Perhaps the Palin home offered Levi (albeit imperfect) a safe refuge from the truly ugly life that pill addiction offers. The comfort he found with Bristol is probably how that baby came to be. Teenagers just don't go around knocking each other up unless something else is going on in their life. Just sayin.
WOW! What a harsh sentence.
ReplyDeleteWonder what sentence Todd's sister-in-law will get.
Maybe your new Gov. just might step up to the plate,and then let the writing begin!
ReplyDeleteStranger things have happened.
Well, no, Levi can't tell anything now. The prisons there are stocked with Palin appointees who can do anything they want to Sherry and get away with it, from what I understand.
ReplyDeleteSomene needs to smuggle her a flip camera.
Meanwhile, to lighten the mood, I'm posting the article you all inspired me to write today:
It's called: "God might Tap Bachmann for President" and of course, Sister Sarah makes an appearance, as does Gryphen, in this scene:-)
http://www. politicususa.com.en/node/7086
Cheers everyone - and I hope things work out for Sherry. I'll have to write about that later...
pills heroin etc. if only they would drink too. it can only thin the herd-for the better.
ReplyDeletespend time in wasilla? then you get it
Before everyone rushes to judgement, you should do some research and find out what the average sentences are for first time offenders for 5 counts of felony drug distribution. That is pretty serious. Prescription drug abuse is rampant in our country and has to be stopped.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me maybe Sherry didn't get into this because she wanted to be a big time drug dealer, but the quantities of drugs she possessed was pretty significant. I think she got a taste of the money she could have made, and who knows who else's life she could destroy if she wasn't stopped. I agree with some of the other anon posters...her lawyer is no slouch, so the plea deal was probably the best he could do for her.
Sherry was an idiot to be selling drugs like that when she knew her family was under the harsh spotlight of the media. Jeez...how stupid and desperate must she have been to dealing while there were reporters camped out at the driveway???
Okay, so selling pills and being a drug addict isn't cool - but those now scratched MySpace or Facebook photos of Bristol drinking (and comments about her drugging) mean it's not like the Palin family's shit don't stink.
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't Bristol in jail for using? Especially given that she and Sherry shared a cell phone at one point, and drug deals must have been going down on that phone - before and AFTER Bristol was using it?
Oh, that's right. Bristol is the child of our Redeemer so anything she does is okay. Same with Track, the other (alleged) pill user. Good to have holy parents who can get you out of trouble.
This is absolutely horrendous. It's a particularly grim outcome given what we learned from Gryphen's post about how Sherry gave a cell phone to Bristol. After Bristol gave it back, saying she "no longer needed it," calls came into that cell phone asking Sherry to sell some of her OxyContin tablets. Not that Sherry is completely blameless, but she had recently become a single mom, already had a chronic pain problem, and was raising two teens with very little money. Someone set her up, and for that slip, she gets three years in prison?
ReplyDeleteThat's about the same sentence served by the man who strangled the daughter of author Dominick Dunne.
Blow Pop Palin did a post discussing the difference in handling Rush L's drug cases and Sherry J's:
ReplyDeletehttp://blow-pop-palin4.blogspot.com/2009/08/so-rush-just-wanted-rush.html
I think I'll look up the visitation rules for the prison.
Mercede isn't finished with high school yet. This school year is going to be difficult for her.
I hope when Sarah finally goes to the big house, she has Sherri as a cellmate.
ReplyDeleteSo let's see...three years from November 20 puts her release at--oh, my; it's right after the 2012 election. What a coincidence. With his mama behind bars and vulnerable to Sarah's sycophants (isn't her old boyfriend in charge of the prisons?), Levi and Mercede are going to have to keep their mouths shut until after the election. There goes any chance of seeing Babygate blown wide open.
ReplyDeleteToo bad Sherry didn't have Rush Limpball's attorney, eh...?
ReplyDeleteGuess that's why no one wants to spill the beans on Babygate.
ReplyDeleteA little bit of revenge goes a long way, maybe the Palin's way of payback, compassion be damned.
ReplyDeletenot that sarah - I understand what you are saying, but if anyone at the prison touches a hair on Sherry's head, it will be exposed world-wide. WHY? Because Levi is now a "celebrity," and all media outlets (sans FAUX) will give him airtime to shout from the rooftops. And I do believe Levi has the heart and guts to do it, especially if his mom is being hurt.
ReplyDeleteon a small side note to my rant above...
ReplyDeleteThere is no Planned Parenthood out here in the Valley. Young women need to have access to safe and effective birth control, period. The pill isn't the only option. Growing up in Anchorage I took the access to birth control (and advice) for granted.
I guess I'm still stunned that the only sex ed Bristol got was from Levi - it was accessible and mainstream when I was growing up 20+ years ago, whatthefuck happened?
Seems like a real tough first time offender sentence. I wonder what the serial thief sister of Todd will get ??A slap on the wrist???? Hang tough Lvei and tell it all!! Caribou Barbie obviously screwed Sherry big time!!
ReplyDeleteRex cut this deal for her. All in all she got a good deal. Just because she isn't a street dealer doesn't mean she wasn't dealing. She was.
ReplyDeleteShe could have gotten a 5 to 8 year sentence and a 250,000.00 fine. She actually got off easy.
I'm sure if Palin was behind anything she would have gotten a much harsher sentence than she did.
I love blaming the Sociopath Palin for stuff, but I think in this case Sherry got off easy.
Was it here or at Palinsdeceptions that I read about the cell phone that Sherry bought for Bristol? First, why would she buy a phone for Bristol? Bristol gave it back to Sherry. Seems like this was the phone used to do the drug deals. So either Bristol was dealing and Sherry accidentally got involved when she answered the phone when it was returned to her. Or, Sherry was dealing drugs on her own and got the phone for Bristol so Bristol could help her market her product. As someone above said, there must be something really awful that you don't want to come out in a trial.
ReplyDeleteI know I sound weird so perhaps someone can enlighten me. And while I'm sounding like a kook I might as well add that I still think the fire at Palin's church and the one that killed Dar Miller might be connected. Has there ever been an investigation?
Ella:
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing about "something" happening to Sherry ... no way is her ex-fling-head-of-prisons going to get away with it if she is treated poorly. Thank God Levi is a "celebrity" now.
Levi, no one is going to get away with hurting your mom in prison ... write the book already.
Will the three years be served in a facility, or will she simply be on probation? I'm confused. If it's three years in a facility - that does seem stiff.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what Alaska justice is like but I've lived in New England, where they probably would have thrown out the charge and now I'm stuck in TN. Even here in TN, there is no way she would get time for something this minor.
ReplyDeleteAnd TN is a very deep red state, and being southern, has draconian drug laws.
Sherry needs to appeal this. This is way too harsh. Palin had to be buddies with the prosecutor. There is much more to this story, I can almost guarantee it.
Shit. People charged with manslaughter do less time.
OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!! There is something wrong here. For a first time offense??? 3 years in prison? I am totally speechless. You can guess who is behind this. I think now that she has been sentenced, IT IS THE TIME TO TALK. I don't see why anyone should wait.......
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a chance for early release or anything like that? I am just so surprised....
One of the other problems is that if Sherry really needs pain maintenance, they probably will not medicate her in prison. We had an INOOCENT guy here on death row, was proven innocent, appellate courts told the state to release him and they waited over 5 years. This man had M.S. a very painful disease. They only gave him Tylenol. They would not let him have physical therapy that he needed. He just got out, after serving over 20 yrs, even though the state was told to release him. Sherry won't just be in pain, she'll also be detoxing without help.
ReplyDeleteElla, I sure hope you're right -- you make a good point. I'm not one to jump to conclusions, but this stinks to high heaven.
ReplyDeleteTodd's sister broke into a house twice with her kid, and stole money....is she going to jail, too? Becasue that seems like a more violent and dangerous crime, esp since she involved her child.
Breaking and entering versus selling a Prescription drugs. Now, if those drugs were sold to kids, that's another story.
But that's not the impression I had.
I hope for the best for Sherry's family. They've been through enough.
I think we all found out how backwards this state is on Monday. But, the truth is sentences were less backwards in the 70s than they are now. I have done a lot of research since my run in with the justice system in Alaska. It is very harsh here and the law is only used on certain people. After enduring workplace bullying(psychological terror) over a 20 month period in an extremely ignorant and backwards place I got PTSD and was very disturbed. I had a suicide plan in which part of it was taking large quantities of narcotics and sedatives. I was working as an RN. I do not remember doing this, but I did take a large amount of narcs from the lock up. I did not even cover it up. It was discovered immedicately. When the director of the pharmacy came he said it was not done by a sane person. The whole story is unbelievable and I am writing a book and will be suing the state. In most states nurses do not get arrested for this and not necessarily here either, but I am not the darling of the right wing Christian dominionists. I had a drunken public defender for about a year just to give you an idea. I was lied to to get me to take a plea deal. My sentence was also very harsh and I also have health problems. My medications were withheld in the prison system(none were narcotics. I have two very painful conditions which I was taking an antidepressant and a seizure medication for. The judge recommended home detention for me, but the DOC did not do this. I was also arrested later for something I did not do(and they knew this) which resulted in my cat being starved and tortured plus all of my possessions stolen or destroyed while several gov agencies knew it was happening.The department of law lies, manipulates and the public defender agency does not defend clients, they also lie and manipulate. It was retaliation for speaking out. I wrote Palin a 50 page letter about it before most of us found out what she really is. Her aid told me the DOL told them not to talk to me or help me.
ReplyDeleteHere is the statute they used, sentencing is spelled out by the legislature. This started in the 1980s in this country when the lobbys for companies that build and supply prisons along with corrections officers unions got legislators to increase the harshness of sentences, especially around drugs.
Under AS 12.55.125(1).....C. if the offense is a first felony conviction and does not involve circumstances described in (2) of this subsection, five to eight years.
In the update link (AP) it states that Sherry has 2 (TWO!!) implanted pain pumps for the chronic pain (caused by surgeries, no less). She ran into trouble when her insurer refused to pay the bill for the (legitimate) prescription.
ReplyDeleteBut we don't need no steenkin' health care reform, oh no!
It seems harsh for a 1st time offender to me. Yes they were serious charges, but with chronic pain, there is nothing else in your life but that pain. That's not life.
There have been murderers that serve less time than Sherri is looking at.
Here's hoping the judge isn't a Palin appointee.
Limbaugh took enough OxyContin to go deaf for a while and he never served a day.
ReplyDeleteI think now that this is out of the way Babygate CAN be exposed. SJ cant be re-sentenced, she is gonna do 3 years and that is that. NOW its time to play HARDBALL Levi!
ReplyDeleteSomething doesn't add up here. Seems like someone has it in for Ms. Johnston. Part of me thinks there was a set-up given the phone situation. I do hope Levi and his sister tell everything they know.
ReplyDeleteKallie in Texas
My thoughts:
ReplyDeleteWe don't know yet whether the sentence will be at home or in a jail, right? The actual sentencing has not happened yet, and I believe a presentence report needs to be submitted and taken into account--so everybody just hold on. Or did I miss something?
In the grand scheme of things, this does seem harsh for what she was able to plea to, but I don't think it was unexpected.
And oh, yes, people who have killed other people have gotten less time. But that could be argued anywhere in the USA, and naturally it depends on the circumstances of the killing.
As for Palin having any influence on anything heretofore? I seriously doubt it. If she had anything to do with this whole situation, it would have been in the tipping off the authorities to begin with. I really think the whole situation is out of her hands. Not that she might be deriving some sick pleasure out of Sherry's plight; we certainly can't rule that out, since she seems to have nothing in her brain that stops her from saying hurtful things about the father of her Grandson(s) or his family.
Maybe a long sentence for "a few pills" will keep another mother from trying to sell her own oxy.
They tried to set me up after my first arrest by having some girls try to sell me prescription narcs. I told them they could get in a lot of trouble for what they were doing and they should flush them down the toilet. It was only later I realized it was a set up. They do this sort of thing all the time. It is frequently used to set up someone for retaliation purposes.
ReplyDeletelimpballs did it in FL, where they give first timers probation 99% of the time, for almost anything! Unless you are Black and using a small amount of crack...Then, not so much....
ReplyDeleteMolly, she is going to prison. I dont condone her actions, but the sentence is irrational.
ReplyDeletePrison is a business, and it needs customers..
In some jurisdictions that is reality. Look up other cases to compare locally.
The prosecution played hardball and 3 years is better than 5-10-15 years if she went to a trial..Butler is no fool and got his client the best deal posssible under the circumstances, IMHO.
NOW, how did the cops get wind of her actions?
I suspect something similar to troopergate on a familial level.
I feel so bad for Sherry...
ReplyDeleteAnyone who doesn't think Palin is behind this is delusional!
I agree with the posters above, Break out BABYGATE and EVERYTHING else!
Levi is a celeb so nothing will happen to Sherry.
Ole Joe wouldn't dare....! He's already in trouble for allowing MRSA in his prisons and rape! He better tow the line on a high profile inmate like Sherry. In fact if I was Sherry I would start writing my own book :)
Seems severe to me. Does anyone know what the "normal" sentencing time is on a first time offense like this?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.correct.state.ak.us/corrections/institutions/hmcc/hmcc.jsf
After I was charged the first time a friend who had been a DA in a very large city in CA told me to pack my suitcases and my cat, get on a plane and leave everything else. He said it is well known that the judicial system in Alaska is corrupt. His first response was, "Get the Hell out of there." I stayed because I believed in our justice system. I thought if I stayed and told the truth that justice would happen. There is no justice in Alaska. The judges belong to the religous right. I got permisson to visit my father in the lower 48 before the public pretenders lied to me to get me to take a plea deal because I was adamant about a trial. The first day I was there I got a frantic call from a PD. She said my PD had to leave town suddenly. I said."You mean she went to rehab?" Then she told me the DA was upset because my plane ticket was one way. I told her not only did they know it was two way(except for a short leg of it), but they had copies of all the documents related to my trip. Then she said they could not find my file(which they have told me on two different ocassions when it served their purposes). I believe there is going to be a third time because I asked for a copy of my file(three times) and got not no response. Then one or two days later I get a call from the same PD wanting to know if I am planning on coming back because if I'm not the DA will not prepare the case. I of course said, "What the hell are you talking about?" I told her I was coming back to address the lies told about me and I wanted a trial. When I hung up the phone my dad who heard the conversation said, "He doesn't want you to come back." I told him, "Yes, apparently he can't get any evidence to back up the lies the two serial bullies at the hospital told about me", AKA perjury. Through most of this I did not know the truth about Alaska. I did not know what Palin really was. I did not know about the Christian Mafia. I did not know the PDs work with the DOL. I did not know the DOL does the bidding of the powerful here. The attorney general is suppose to be there for the people. It is a positon that has been perverted in Alaska. I have posted about this story all over the country. The DOL people or other Palinistas then call me names like, "crazy ex-con" in annonymity. This does not discourage me because it means I have struck a cord with them.
ReplyDeleteSearching Joe Arpaio abuse G**gle returns 37100 hits for this prison sheriff. But I never understood how completely psycho he is until hearing about the pink fetish.
ReplyDeleteI was in the Wasilla Wal-Mart today (8-19) as the Star issue was being placed in the check-out lines. It's the one with Todd & Sarah Palin on the cover and Mercede (Sadie) telling her story!
ReplyDeleteIronic, huh?
Gryphen, WTF is with the pink handcuffs? Are they really from that asshole Joe Arpaio? And why would anybody allow such a degrading thing to be placed on this woman? I am getting more and more pissed off the more I read about this.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I can't process that scene, tell me it isn't true.
It is so wrong. It makes no sense.
HuffPo has the story up now.
ReplyDeleteWell what does this mean (in the AP blurb):
ReplyDelete"The judge has the sentencing recommendation under review."
Could it still turn into parole, or time served at home?
well, I'm not so sure it was a harsh sentence. at first glance it seems that it might be, but none of us know the details, do we? like, how long was she dealing, who was she dealing to (was it primarily minors?) etc.
ReplyDeletelets just ask ourselves - if this woman was selling oxy to our teens, would we think 3 years was too much? I wouldn't, even if it was a first time offense. this isn't marijuana we're talking about, this is a seriously addictive drug - the kind of drug that makes people do bad things when they need a fix.
Anon: KTUU interviewed Rex Butler and he said something like... they were hoping for a home sentence with ankle bracelet monitoring. She'll be sentenced on November 20.
ReplyDeleteKTUU.com/Global/story.asp?S=10956693
If the judge is now reviewing the sentencing recommendation, perhaps he/she CAN reduce it!
ReplyDeleteAlaskans may want to flood the judge with letters for Sherry - it helps. I speak from experience. Hubby faced time on federal charges yrs.ago -IRS related. He was/is well known and loved in our community, hundreds of letters poured in - he got community service/probation.
I too, take MS Contin(Oxy), and have done so for 10 years due to back problems. It has allowed me to function and be able to enjoy my life.
ReplyDeleteI have had my medication stolen twice from my home and know all over the country, abuse of this medication is rising. I know how dangerous it is to use this drug illegally.
Why did her lawyer agree to this?
I wonder if some kids were involved in this and a message is being sent?
Who made the arrangements for the gift of pink handcuffs from ARIZONA? McCain?
ReplyDeleteThis really stinks. A blatant message to the Johnston's (those pink cuffs) - to keep quiet?
If you are in AK, please write to the judge NOW and ask him to impose rehab/community service for Sherry.
So, what are the chances the actual sentence will be less than the 3 years? And will there be an appeal? (And will there be any search into any undue influence in all of this?)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure someone thought the pink handcuffs would be feminine and appropriate for a female prisoner.
Bristol Palin looks more like Sherry Johnston than her own mother. The photo of Sherry today could be Bristol Palin 25 or 30 years down the road. Just saying...
ReplyDeleteI hope that part of any "deal" that Sherry had to make, didn't include Levi and Mercede keeping their mouths shut about Palin. I'm thinking, celebrity status or not, there has to be a reason why those kids are keeping their mouths shut. Sharon in FL
mlaiuppa - in response to your post at 7:05 pm:
ReplyDelete1. she MAY get to serve the sentence at home (ankle bracelet) due to her medical issues.
2. NO appeal (guilty plea = no appeal)
3. pink handcuffs - NO, not feminine and appropriate, sent from John McCain's home State by creep sheriff Joe.
Alaska Civics 101 lesson: first degree drug offenses (which, because of the nature of the drug and the quantity she has plead to -- one of five different counts) *require* a five year minimum presumptive jail sentence under Alaska law. AS 12.55.125(b). The judge may, in his or her discretion and after considering factors in mitigation (such factors are listed in the statutes) reduce that by a maximum amount of 50%. AS 12.55.155. The only way a sentence lower than 50% of the minimum can be imposed is if the judge finds by "clear and convincing evidence" that the minimum adjusted sentence would result in "manifest injustice" because non-statutory factors in mitigation were not considered. AS 12.55.165. In such a case, the judge's reasons for wishing to depart from the presumptive minimum is submitted to a 3 judge panel who can (but almost never does) reduce the sentence further. AS 12.55.175.
ReplyDeleteAnd that, folks, is your Alaska justice system at work.
Celia Harrison - thank you for your posts here.
ReplyDeleteI find them very interesting, and I am so sorry for what you suffered (both at work and with the prison system). Please keep us posted on your book, I will order it.
Could you go to Oz Mudflats blog (at left, under Sarah Palin's least favorite blogs) and see if you (as a nurse) can help her with advice?
Cindy McCain faced charges of up to 20 years and she served ONE week in a rehab of her choice. I guess money buys judges.
ReplyDelete5:59 PM
ReplyDeleteThe most important question to answer is how did she get there? The whole story.
The country has crazy drug policies. Pharmaceuticals are the most egregious drug pushers. It looks like the babies involved with the Palins have been drugged. Sherry Johnston is not the one who should be doing time. She did wrong but overkill is a mark on our justice system and courts. Alaska again hangs it's head in shame. This travesty will always be chained to the corrupt Palin dominion.
I hope Alaskan bloggers will review the details around all that happen. It is plausible that she was set up. A trooper or someone said the sting was delayed to coincide with the campaign ending for Palin. All this occurred in a small town. Levi and Mercede would know who the two informants are. How often do they see one another around town? They all belong to Bristol's little high school clique.
I believe the family knew before today what was going to happen in court. Bless them. Butler please make a statement and what can people do to help and bring awareness to what has happened.
Sherry has no business in a prison until November 20. House monitoring is too much when you look at her situation and other cases. If she wasn't in Alaska and or she had power or millions she would not do any time. Others did worse crimes and got off easy.
Everything about what happened to Sherry Johnston looks like a set up.
Ella I read that post earlier today and without even seeing the red spot and bump it could be anything. Having flu symptoms at the same time could be a clue. Also, they have all kinds of insects we are not familiar with here. I can't venture a guess, but it will be interesting to find out what it is.
ReplyDeleteTrack, Bristol and Willow all look like they have substance abuse issues. The two babies have appeared on television to be dangerously over medicated. Diana Palin and I think a brother of Todd's have records. Diana Palin has a serious problem with street drugs. Her addiction drove her to take her young Palin girl into a dangerous crime scene. When will the outcome of her far worse case be known?
ReplyDeleteAll addictions make anyone look like an idiot. There are reasons it is called a disease. As long as there are doctors passing out pills to fix everyone there will be a growing population of addicts. It is a vicious circle. If you are short on money and need more than the doctor prescribes you will do what you can. Addict behavior is addict behavior whether you are 10 years old or 100 years. It costs prisons in the $100,000 plus a year to house addicts, not much rehabilitation. It is a failed system that makes a few rich.
Molly- A person in pain or addicted will not stop or act rational, it will not help another addict mother to know what happened to Sherry. The informants that set her up were underage addicts. They were caught in another crime and gave her up so they could do less time. Levi and Mercede would know how it went down and I hope it is not too late by the time they write. None of this will make sense without people talking about the drug culture in the area. There is something horribly wrong up there.
ReplyDeleteThe final word will come down on Nov 20 as I understand.
I don't know if Sherry has arrangements to go to a medical facility where she can be treated or what? Or did the judge give a reason for cruel and unusual punishment? It would be wicked beyond belief to with hold a sick persons medication. There is no way she should have been incarcerated today until the Nov. 20. Why did he not allow bail?
The judge could say on the 20th that he'll give her house arrest. Why did he not allow bail? I don't know how Alaska works. There are places where 3 years could be 1.5 years or less. Alaska is medieval. Mr. Butler needs to make a statement.
WHAT IF: SP feared Sherry talking, and knew Sherry had financial problems and was depressed due to marital woes.
ReplyDeleteWHAT IF: the phone that Bristol returned to Sherry was then ringing with calls requesting drug deals, either because Bristol had been dealing or it was a set-up to trap Sherry.
WHAT IF: the buyers of the drugs from Sherry were undercover agents or just folks hired to do the entrapment thing (they all got off for telling on Sherry -- perhaps they knew in advance that would be the deal).
WHAT IF: Rex Butler had not come to Sherry's aid?
SOUNDS LIKE AN almost SLAM-DUNK TO ME!
The Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Arizona, McCain, pink is a blatant message. Those people are from the dark ages.
ReplyDeleteIf there was a deal for Levi and Mercede to keep there mouths shut that would be criminal in most places. Alaska?
McCain helped his wife when she stole medications from her charity. She took them from defenseless children. She had the other workers entangled in her criminal addictive behavior. McCain used his power with the DEA. One of her employees that was intimidated tried to get his story out.
Gryphen, isn't your post in error in saying that the judge sentenced her today? Wasn't today just her plea? And the lawyers tell the judge what their sentencing recommendations are (per the plea agreement) but the judge does the sentencing at the nov. hearing. Also remember that if someone gets a 3 year sentence, they serve alot less than that with good behavior.
ReplyDeletePlease everyone, stop with the hysteria.
ReplyDeleteFirst, unless we know what sentences other people in Alaska who have pled guilty to similar crimes received, we don't know if Sherry's sentence was atypical. Don't be like Sarah Palin - get your facts straight before you open your trap.
Also, there is a big difference in how the criminal justice treats a defendant who pleads guilty to possession as opposed to selling drugs. Selling drugs is a much more serious crime.
Stop the hysteria until all the facts are in. You sound like birthers and the Town Hall crazies.
The gushing sympathy here for a drug dealer disturbs me. Do you guys give this amount of concern to the 100s of our youth who are caught up in the AK criminal system due to stupid youthful mistakes? or is sarah-hate causing drug dealer love? What if SP repeatedly sold oxy(at $80 a pill) to teens in your neighborhood? What sentence would you want for her?
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to comment on Sherry's legal problems because I don't know if she has an addiction problem, or if she was selling Oxy to teens.
ReplyDeleteThere is a possibility she uses chronic pain to justify her use of drugs. If she truly has chronic pain, medical records should be looked at and considered by the judge.
It startles me to think she has two implanted pain pumps and takes Oxy on top of it! Let's remember Track use to hang out there and we know he had an Oxy problem. Was her divorce a result of this issue?
These are all questions we don't have the answers to. All we can do is hope for the best for Sherry and her family. And, don't worry about Mercede. I'll bet she was paid well for the story in Star Mag. that didn't tell us anything we didn't already know.
About Babygate? The Johnstons aren't going to talk because if they do, "the gig is over." Once Sarah is outed, who is going to care about these people!
In Alaska, birth records are sealed for 100 years. Can't someone introduce a bill to change this law and make B/C's available like in other states?
With Sarah gone, this is something to think about...
Ginger
I find the pink handcuff comment unnerving. If the cuffs were indeed a present form the Arizona sheriff, did he send them specifically to someone in Alaska knowing they'd be slapped on Johnston's wrists yesterday? That would betray some really biased hopeful thinking at best and some sort of insider knowledge at worst.
ReplyDeleteIf they used those on Sherry and no one else I think that is very telling. It strikes me as sort of a taunt.
I do hope you'll look into this a bit further and report back.
She may have had pain pumps, but she also stated that her insurance stopped paying for medical pain treatment, so it appears that afford the pills without insurance, she sold some to make enough money.
ReplyDeleteMost likely, SJ is receiving a gift from SP for her silence--only three years, and I'll bet they'll be served under house arrest with ankle bracelet monitoring. This is probably the best she could hope for. It will buy the Johnston's silence...but only for a while. I think we'll be hearing the full story years from now, when SP is no longer a threat to the Johnston's.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, I know you will do all you can to help make this a lesson and to expose the truth. The pink handcuff is so bizarre it didn't occur to me that could have been done specifically with Johnston in mind. What do you know?
ReplyDeleteMost of us don't know about sentencing in Alaska. I'd like to know why she has to sit in jail until the November date and if preparations were made for her medical condition. What was the reason given to forgo bail?
If people do not know about the sheriff in Arizona, it is time they learn. Pink is used to humiliate the most unfortunate of prisoners. The sheriff thinks it is funny and it will cure problems. If McCain was picked up on child molestation would he have to wear pink? He wouldn't be charged in the first place, just saying.
Cindy McCain and Rush Limbaugh are both cases to compare. McCain because of the connection. An older case is the John DeLorean entrapment. There must be many that are not high profile.
Please write letters on Sherry Johnston's behalf. Is there a site or Facebook where there will be updates and information on how to help or bring awareness for others as well?
Prescription drug addiction is a rapidly growing problem in America. The public needs information. It is part of the health care costs and problems. It makes a fortune for some, it costs a fortune when your life is destroyed or you live long enough to find your liver is hard and useless.
Celia Harrison,
ReplyDeleteI hope that you are okay now. I know what chronic pain and depression are like. I take meds for both.
I feel Sherry has been totally screwed over. That sentence is way too harsh. Especially because she is in financial straits, suffers from chronic pain that will probably never go away, and having Palin totally disrupt her family's lives. They (the prosecution) should have taken all of that into consideration.
As to the rest of us commenter's here, I am convinced there is much, much more to this story regarding Bristol and the phone. I think Bristol was getting customers for Sherry. I don't know anything about Bristol, she may of thought she was helping Sherry out. But Sherry got caught and didn't rat Bristol out (if that be the case). If so, the Palin's owe Sherry big time. Not only would Bristol have been spared the humiliation of being arrested, the scandalous Palin name would have been spared one more scandal.
Is Rex even a criminal lawyer? If so, I think he could have done better with Sherry's case.
I don't like to bring this up but when a person goes through detox without medical attention there is a risk of death or the ravages of a stroke. Does anyone know what the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River offers? I am concerned and would like to know what the odds are for Mrs. Johnston? She has two pain pumps implanted and needed to see a doctor frequently for treatment.
ReplyDeleteThe Lockerbie bomber is allowed compassion for 3 months.
These news accounts are not all entirely consistent, but this is what I read into their common elements:
ReplyDelete1. This woman has excellent legal representation.
2. This is an agreed-on sentencing recommendation. That means there's nothing in there that's a surprise to the defendant or her lawyer.
3. Ordinarily sentence is imposed at the time a guilty plea is accepted if there's an agreed-on sentencing recommendation. Therefore there probably are other non-public elements involved in the agreed-on sentencing recommendation (just for example, a recommendation to suspend further execution of sentence if the defendant meets certain conditions while she's being held pending sentencing? Could be a lot of things). Otherwise there would be no need to have the trial court judge keep the sentencing recommendation "under consideration" for three more months before actually imposing sentence.
4. A "state prison" sentence on paper is necessary under many statutes, but classification of where a prisoner actually serves a sentence ordinarily is left for processing by the correctional authorities, and is not within a trial court's authority.
Bottom line: just in my opinion, this is probably actually a very good deal for the defendant, and I would not be the least bit surprised if she is released from custody entirely at her sentencing and given a substantial additional probationary period with the threat of commitment on the remainder of the outstanding sentence if she commits another criminal act.
IMO, nobody should be expecting her to serve anything like three years. Whether or not serving that amount of time is appropriate for her crime is an entirely separate issue.
--SG
SG: thank you. You sound super credible. Glad you feel she has "excellent legal representation" because that has been my impression, as a layman. GO Rex Butler!
ReplyDeleteThank you to Doberman at 10:06 pm for suggesting that people get their facts straight before opinionating. Honestly, alot of folks here remind me of Ms. Palin. . .taking little bits of info and then making grandious (and often erroneous) guesses to fill in the blanks and slant things in their favored direction, with very little actual info. This is exactly the reason I so dislike SP.
ReplyDeleteHere’s proof of the pure Hypocrisy in this Country. Quite a long article, but definitely worth the read. Much, much, much to be learned.
ReplyDeleteWashington Times Piece on Cindy McCain’s addiction and theft.
A Tangled Story of Addiction
Consequences of Cindy McCain's Drug Abuse Were More Complex Than She Has Portrayed
Three weeks after his firing, Gosinski contacted Phoenix DEA agents and gave them a copy of his journal.
The DEA questioned the charity's doctors, and McCain hired John Dowd, a powerhouse Washington lawyer, to represent AVMT. Dowd had defended John McCain in the Keating Five scandal, helping the senator win the mildest sanction of the five senators involved. Dowd declined to comment for this article.
Soon, the DEA began looking at Cindy McCain. Dowd informed Johnson, the physician, that "there's been further investigation and Cindy's got a drug problem," Johnson told county investigators.
The DEA pursued the matter for 11 months. Dowd kept tabs on the investigation from Washington, writing letters and making frequent phone calls to the agency, according to sources close to the investigation.
McCain's conduct left her facing federal charges of obtaining "a controlled substance by misrepresenting, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge." Experts say she could have faced a 20-year prison sentence.
Dowd negotiated a deal with the U.S. attorney's office allowing McCain, as a first-time offender, to avoid charges and enter a diversion program that required community service, drug treatment and reimbursement to the DEA for investigative costs. Johnson agreed to surrender his medical license and retire.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091103928.html
Gryphen or any other posters, please direct me to the page w/the judge's addy & info to write to him. Maybe we should have an organized campaign. As a chronic pain sufferer (severe) and mom to 2 disabled challenging kids life is often very very hard, but I would never sell meds. I am married however & not going through a divorce, not the focus of national attention and my family under attack, becoming a grandma when I only have 2 teens, etc. She may have been depressed. I just hope that the judge takes that into account, as I'm sure this IS Troopergate all over again. That woman poisons everyone around her. Her poor children. I wish I could adopt her girls, esp. Piper. I assume Trig is being cared for by Bristol, but Bristol still needs a mom and probably lots of years of de-programming and counseling from living in that family. Poor Piper, where are they, Montana? What school (if any) will she go to next year? When does this little girl get some stability in her life? Poor Mercedes, how can she concentrate on school when her mom is in jail? I think we should send her flowers and letters, not Ms. Palin. Poor Levi, who never asked for any of this. Poor Mrs. Johnston who will suffer in jail and was likely setup by a woman who was going to be family. Palin is a bull in a china shop, leaving broken lives in her wake.
ReplyDeleteElliegrl
As I posted in my update to this post, I have learned some additional information that puts a few things in a different light.
ReplyDeleteAs usual neither the local media nor the AP had the WHOLE story, and it took me until late in the day to get the scoop. I cannot provide too many details except to say that things are not as hopeless as they appeared from the KTUU report and the AP piece.
When I am given the go-ahead I will post a full explanation.
However I am sure that the Johnston family is very appreciative of the support and compassion that many of you have expressed in these comments.
I'm going to generously do some collective "pro bono" here--or maybe I should call it, "Pro Bozo" work:
ReplyDeleteFirst (and I admit I don't follow Alaskan drug stories) this statement came from her counsel:
As part of the deal the other five charges were dismissed.
Johnston's attorney, Rex Butler, says the agreed-upon sentence of three years will make her eligible to serve time at home with an ankle monitor, allowing her own doctors to treat her medical condition, which Butler says includes scurvy because her body doesn't process Vitamin C.
"She understands what's going on and she realizes she's got to pay for what occurred, and of course again WE'RE JUST HAPPY AND THANKFUL
WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY."
Lawyer speak: Sweet! What a deal: she's hit with six charges and we get five dropped. In New York there are kids who have been in prison since Jesus was in third grade for pushing two ounces of this shit!"
Oh, the advice: most of you shouldn't even think about representing yourself for a parking ticket.
Gryphen, That is good to hear.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can put some light on the pink handcuffs. Also why is she waiting in jail for months? Thank you for all you do. Blessings and good cheer to the Johnstons, Mr. Butler, Mr. Jones and all the folks that comment. MadCity Chick, that was interesting and I hope to hear more.
Annon above, thanks for the laugh and the advice.
ReplyDeleteLoved the Jesus in third grade and the parking ticket info.
I'll try not to break any laws.
Cindy McCain was in a spa of her choice. To call what she did rehab is a stretch.
ReplyDeleteWhistleblower breaks 15-year silence to allege McCain hid wife's drug abuse
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Whistleblower_breaks_15year_silence_to_allege_0911.html
Thursday September 11, 2008
Gosinski details a conversation with Jeri Johnson, Cindy McCain's
aunt, regarding Cindy's nanny, Diane, in a July 28, 1992 entry.
Diane voice concerns regarding Cindy's use of drugs and the effect
it is having on the kids. Diane told Jeri that Meghan recently told
her to "fuck off" after trying to discipline her. She also told Jeri
that she is concerned that Cindy is giving the kids drugs which
unnecessarily sedate them. I hope that is not happening.
Concerns that Cindy McCain is unnecessarily drugging her children
appear again in a July 31 entry -- "Cari (Cindy's adopted daughter)
told the three that she fears Cindy gives the kids prescription drugs
they do not need," Gosinski wrote.
Cindy McCain
http://openline.medialine.com/showthread.php?t=20171
Opiate for the Mrs.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1994-09-08/news/opiate-for-the-mrs
Tom Gosinski, the man Cindy McCain had terminated from his job after
he turned Cindy in for stealing narcotics from a charity, says it is
very unlikely that Cindy is clean and sober, today, because she
skipped-out on the drug rehab she was sentenced to in 1993.
Cindy used Tom Gosinski as a reference when she was adopting Bridget,
the black baby she makes sleep in the garage, and he told the adoption
agency Cindy was on drugs.
At least one doctor, who Cindy had scammed to get drugs, also lost his
license to practice medicine.
She does the crime, she does the time. She did plead guilty, yes? Why should she be treated differently just because Sarah Palin does not like her?
ReplyDeletesigned,
Sauerkraut
I think Sherry should be thanking her lucky stars no teen died from a lethal overdose of Oxycontin! As a person disabled by severe chronic pain, I'm well aware of what pill she was trying to peddle to these dumbazz kids; an 80 mg. tablet can easily kill someone without an opiod tolerance! What if the kids decided to snort it and then started tossing back alcohol since getting blasted is such a good idea? Who would be crying then?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the rich asshats got away with their crimes with a slap on the wrist like they always do (were they selling their potentially lethal drugs to risk-taking teens?) and yes, I think Lady Goo-Goo used her influence like she always does, but I really don't think Sherry deserves a free pass on this one. Considering what could have happened, she dodged a bullet.
However, I do sincerely hope she gets the medical help and healing she needs during her time in prison; I've been reading the Alaskan blogs for quite some time now and halfway expect the penal system in Alaska to be as effed up as the political machine. Hopefully humane care doesn't come under the tag of "special rights".
I have the same problem with someone selling or giving drugs to kids. These kids were of high school age. In a crime that had nothing to do with Johnston, these kids were caught picking up a package of drugs, that was probably tipped off by other kids. This was a business for kids that were drug users. It is common in the area.
ReplyDeleteWhen they were caught they became informants so they would not have to go to jail. That doesn't change or excuse what Johnston did. From what we know she was someone in pain with medical conditions. She was watched and didn't act like a hardcore dealer. She was trying to keep her pain medication and not go through the hell of a cold withdrawal. Her insurance cut off her medication, getting cut off drives people to desperation, she did the unthinkable. People do die when they go through severe withdrawal. She wanted to live and stop the pain.
At the time she was in contact with the secret service or federal security. They would have known about the area and the underground if they did their jobs to protect a candidate. Johnston had Presidential candidate McCain's staff at her house at times and her pc was hacked. I don't see how she had any privacy or secrets. She was set up by dealers and users that were underage.
The Palmer & Wasilla area has a severe drug problem. It is the methamphetamine capital and now oxycontin and other pills. Heroin is a serious problem. All the drug problems need to be addressed, it isn't new and it is not a little problem. If the public knew the background they could see how Johnston's situation fits in. The area has a lack of interest in looking into their drug business. It is big business and the hardcore dealers don't pay taxes. It is common for the kids in that area to get wasted without impunity. The law needs to clean up the whole problem not pick out certain people for particular reasons and bust them. The worst offenders are probably protected by a cartel, or whatever they call it there. Jails are too often for people without money that aren't the worst offenders but get caught up or are a target from higher up. Jails are going private, it's business, they need customers. I don't know the cost of home monitoring. I hear it costs about a 1.5 hundred thousand a year to keep one person in prison. Prisoners with medical issues cost more.
No one is saying let her off. The courts do take into consideration her health, first time offender and other factors. Home monitoring is enough. Johnston's face is on the news around the world and she gets more public humiliation then most.
If people are disturbed about high school kids who sell and use drugs also being sold drugs, they should look at what is happening to the innocent kids who are given drugs by parents with the blessings of doctors. When a baby is young it is alright to keep them quiet when a parent is busy. When they grow up with a drug problem it is not alright and they can go to jail and have a ruined life. Making an example of someone like Johnston has zero effect on helping the problem. She has already been punished. If she was in prison 3 years at 1.5, who is paying the 4.5 hundred thousand and medical?
gryphen,
ReplyDeletesorry if someone already asked this, but i skimmed the comments.
what is the connection between palin and pierre burkett?
the pink handcuffs seem like a real slap in sherry's face from palin.
didn't she appoint him c.s.o. of the year in '06?
are they friends? is it worth looking into?
thanks again for your hard work.
here's an article from a phoenix new times blog:
So what's this deal about hockey-stud Levi Johnston's druggie ma having Sheriff Joe Arpaio's pink handcuffs slapped on her in an Alaska courtroom after pleading guilty for illegally possessing OxyContin, aka, "The Rush Limbaugh Drug"?
You'll recall that Levi is the 19-year-old who impregnated Bristol Palin, Wasilla-wackjob Sarah Palin's kid. During the 2008 campaign, Bristol and Levi made nicey-nice for the cameras, but their relationship went south after Bristol popped out baby Tripp in December.
In any case, how does Sheriff Joe enter into all this? Well, it seems Levi's mother Sherry Johnston, 43, is going to the pen for receiving some OxyContin pills in the mail and selling ten of them to a police informant. She copped to a plea deal on Wednesday, and was taken away in pink cuffs from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Reporting for the Anchorage Daily News, scribe Rindi White made note of ma Johnston's reaction to the jail-house accoutrement:
"`That's pretty,' Johnston said as a court officer placed pink handcuffs -- a gift from an Arizona sheriff -- around her wrists. Court officers can use their own handcuffs, and the pink ones are a trademark of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix's Maricopa County, along with the pink boxer shorts he issues to jail inmates."
So, what, is Arpaio mailing out pink restraints on the county dime now? Not so fast, Joe-bashers. The explanation is a little more mundane. According to Megan Peters, spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, which oversees all court services officers, the cuffs were part of a gift package from some MCSO deputies, who were up in Alaska last year on official business.
Court services officer Pierre Burkett took the deputies fishing in their off time, and as a way of saying thanks, the officers sent Burkett some gifts from Cactus Country, including two pairs of pink handcuffs, an autographed poster of Sheriff Joe, and so on. Burkett uses one set of cuffs. His wife, a detention officer, uses the other set.
End of story? Pretty much. I'm just hoping that if the feds ever, finally, one day, maybe put cuffs on Arpaio for corruption, or for something, anything, that they use some pink ones, if only for irony's sake.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2009/08/levi_johnstons_druggie_mom_get.php
LurkingSeamstressPDX said
ReplyDelete"However, I do sincerely hope she gets the medical help and healing she needs during her time in prison;"
Be advised folks: "medical help and healing" are NOT provided in prison! The system will provide, at best, MINIMAL/nominal health care--nothing like the care available outside. And they don't care about healing at all. Their goal is to punish, not heal. This is true in all states, but here are links to Alaska stories:
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/03/sarah-palins-prisongate.html
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/03/basic-human-dignity.html
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/02/sarah-palins-buddies.html