Ocean Springs woman says addiction prompted her to acquire fraudulent prescriptions

PASCAGOULA -- Keri Dionne Hinds was working at a doctor's office when she started getting a nurse there to write fraudulent prescriptions for painkillers.

On Wednesday, the 43-year-old Ocean Springs mother of two pleaded guilty to seven counts of acquisition of a prescription by fraud.

As part of the plea, she admitted using the bogus prescriptions to obtain the painkiller hydrocodone in 2013 from several Jackson County pharmacies.

"When I first met her, she clearly had a drug issue," attorney J.D. Taylor told the judge. "She has been doing very well since then."

Hinds told the judge she was addicted to the pills for a couple of years, but has undergone treatment at a rehab center. She told him she has a bachelor's degree in business administration, but is unemployed now.

Krebs sentenced her to five years of non-adjudicated probation on each count, to run concurrently. He fined her $3,500 and ordered her to pay $1,100 in restitution. He also ordered her to attend and complete Jackson County Drug Court under his direction.

If she completes drug court and stays out of trouble during her probation, she will no longer have a felony record.

Hinds' attorney said she also has a felony charge of acquisition of a prescription by fraud pending in Harrison County.

After imposing the sentence, Krebs told her she will have to get a job and stop relying on her parents to take care of her.

He told her she could be helpful in Drug Court.

"We may need her," he said, to help teach a few Drug Court participants some basic math so they can obtain their GEDs.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Ocean Springs woman says addiction prompted her to acquire fraudulent prescriptions ."