Sheriff: Woman claimed pregnancy to get methadone
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
A Mahoning County jail inmate claimed she was pregnant in order to get methadone treatment, according to a county sheriff’s office report.
Jennifer L. Sharpe, 30, of Sexton Street, Struthers, reported to the jail Feb. 15 to serve 10 days after pleading no contest to a theft charge. She told intake staff she was pregnant and had been prescribed methadone, an opioid medication used to treat withdrawal symptoms.
A positive pregnancy test conducted by a jail nurse allowed the inmate to qualify for methadone treatment, which would be necessary to prevent a miscarriage.
Sharpe received the methadone treatment the following day then returned to the jail, where another pregnancy test was performed – which came out negative. Blood tests performed at an Austintown urgent-care facility also showed Sharpe was not pregnant.
Investigators on Feb. 20 sent up a felony charge of deception to obtain a dangerous drug against Sharpe, according to the report.
Charges have not been filed in county or municipal courts, records show. Sharpe was released from the jail Monday after completing her 10-day sentence on the theft charge.