MOUNT VERNON — A Mount Vernon couple was expected to plead guilty this morning to charges of selling prescription pain pills to an undercover informant.
Louis and Lorrie Vernon were indicted in August for allegedly selling two prescription Oxycontin pills for $100 to a 27-year-old Mount Vernon man identified as “Confidential Informant 13 (CI-13)” working for the Mount Vernon Police Department. The name of the informant has yet to be publicly released.
According to the original indictment, the Vernons were charged with felony drug trafficking. If convicted, they could have faced one to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. However, as part of a plea agreement, Louis is expected to plead guilty to a fourth-degree felony, and Lorrie is expected to plead to a fifth-degree felony. A specification filed by prosecutors to seize the Vernons home is also expected to be dismissed.
Unrelated to the alleged drug deal with the confidential informant, Lorrie Vernon was indicted again in March on additional charges that she allegedly used deception to obtain a dangerous drug, a fifth-degree felony. According to defense attorney Phillip Lehmkuhl, the deception charge is also expected to be dismissed as part of the agreement.
If Common Pleas Judge Otho Eyster accepts both guilty pleas, Louis could face up to 18 months in prison and Lorrie could face up to a year in prison. Lehmkuhl said he expects a recommendation from prosecutors for a community control sentence in lieu of prison time.
