New York woman jailed for heroin and cash in car

YOUNGSTOWN — A New York woman who was a passenger in a car, in which state troopers found almost two pounds of heroin and $19,980 cash, was sentenced today in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to six months in the Mahoning County jail as part of her probation.

Prosecutors were recommending probation for Gina Pewritt, 30, because of her almost complete lack of a criminal record and because she cooperated, but Judge R. Scott Krichbaum said he thought Pewritt deserved some jail time because of the amount of drugs found in the car and the effect they have on the community.

Pewritt appeared to not understand that the jail sentence was part of her sentence and she burst into tears when deputies handcuffed her.

The driver of the car, who is from Maryland, will be sentenced at a later date.

The car was pulled over in February by a member of the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Interstate 76 for speeding. The trooper smelled marijuana inside the car and conducted a probable cause search, where he found 1.9 pounds of heroin and the cash.