YOUNGSTOWN Charged woman used false name

The woman has used her sister's name before.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- One of two women indicted last week for possessing large amounts of a prescription cough syrup apparently gave police a false name but won't be charged for it.
A Mahoning County grand jury indicted Tameicka Fields for possession of Tussionex. When she was arrested, Fields reportedly told authorities she was Tammala Lashawn Fields, 26, of Crandall Avenue, Youngstown, so she was originally indicted under that name.
The other suspect is Khaliah Janae Green of Englewood, Calif.
Tammala Fields is Tameicka Fields' sister, and Tameicka has apparently given police that name before, said Greg McCoy, resident agent in charge of the Youngstown office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
He said Tameicka presented a driver's license with her picture on it, but with Tammala's name. Authorities didn't catch the ruse until they checked her fingerprints, McCoy said. They still aren't sure of her actual birth date and address.
Dennis Sarisky, an assistant prosecutor with the Mahoning Valley Drug Task Force, said he'll amend the indictment to have Tammala's name removed and Tameicka named instead.
Won't be charged: Authorities considered charging Tameicka Fields with falsification, but decided against it, McCoy said.
He said she's already facing a second-degree felony, which carries a mandatory prison sentence of two to eight years if she is convicted. Falsification is a misdemeanor that wouldn't add any prison time.
Tussionex is a highly potent cough syrup that contains the same active ingredient as Vicodin and other depressants, and its effect is similar to heroin. Authorities said it sells on the street for between $125 and $150 an ounce.
bjackson@vindy.com