Ex-pharmacy tech sentenced for dealing 15,000 doses of Xanax, hydrocodone

GULFPORT -- A former pharmacy technician at the Rite Aid in D'Iberville will serve five months in prison and five months under house arrest for conspiring to distribute more than 15,000 doses of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone.

U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden on Monday sentenced Patricia Maria Leavens, 25, a single mother of four and former substitute teacher in St. Martin. He also ordered her to serve two years under supervised release, with five months under house arrest, and pay a $2,000 fine. Leavens had pleaded guilty in June to a charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance outside the scope of a medical practice.

A loss-prevention manager at the D'Iberville pharmacy reported her suspicion that Leavens was altering prescriptions to obtain the medications.

A couple of letters were submitted to the judge on her behalf prior to sentencing.

"Patricia's life revolves around her kids," her colleague Regina Franklin wrote. "Patricia helps kids in the neighborhood that are less fortunate than she is even when she does not have it to give herself."

Franklin said she and Leavens had worked together as substitute teachers and volunteered on their children's basketball teams. Another woman, Cynthia McAllister, described Leavens as "dedicated" substitute teacher and said, "because she was such a good substitute teacher, we instantly thought of her when we had a long-term substitute need."

In addition, McAllister wrote, Leavens is a "wonderful person, but most of all she is an amazing mother."

Her attorney, John Weber, was hoping Leavens would only serve time under house arrest.

"While we recognize the seriousness of the offense, there were mitigating factors that justified a sentence of house arrest," Weber said. "Given Ms. Leavens' family circumstances, the court's sentence is heartbreaking."

The judge agreed to allow Leavens to remain out of prison on bond pending her federal prison designation.

"The dangers of the illegal distribution of pharmaceutical drugs in our country is real," said Terry Davis, resident agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Gulfport office. "DEA, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and the D'Iberville Police Department, along with our other coastal law enforcement partners, will continue to press the fight to keep these drug dealers from further endangering our communities."

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Meynardie prosecuted the case.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Ex-pharmacy tech sentenced for dealing 15,000 doses of Xanax, hydrocodone."