Britt sentenced to 5 years

Published 4:46 pm Friday, March 9, 2018

A Harlan woman was sentenced to a total of five years in prison in Harlan Circuit Court for multiple counts including possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence.

Tina Britt, 46, aka Tina Smith, aka Tina Dabney, appeared in front of Harlan Circuit Court Judge Kent Hendrickson for sentencing on Feb. 28. Commonwealth’s Attorney Parker Boggs and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jonathon Lee handled the matter for the state.

According to court documents, Britt entered pleas of guilty to charges contained in three separate indictments on Feb. 22, including two counts of first-degree possession of a controlled substance, second-degree possession of a controlled substance (one count), third-degree possession of a controlled substance (one count), illegal possession of a legend drug (one count), tampering with physical evidence (three counts), possession of drug paraphernalia (two counts), fraudulent use of a credit card (one count) and first-degree promoting contraband (one count).

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One of the three indictments stems from Britt’s Aug. 11 arrest by Harlan County Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Lewis.

According to the citation issued at the time of Britt’s Aug. 11 arrest, police received a call to assist Harlan County Emergency Management at a structure fire on Sutton Drive. When police arrived, Emergency Management Director David McGill advised Britt was seen by fire personnel taking something out of her bra and hiding it behind a trash can. Lewis discovered a small amount of cash and two clear baggies containing suspected methamphetamine, as well as multiple pills. Britt admitted she attempted to hide the items in order not to be caught with them.

Another indictment handed down by the grand jury on Sept. 6 states Britt used identifying information of Phillip D. Coleman. The indictment stems from a complaint stating Britt withdrew $498.52 using Coleman’s debit card on Oct. 2, 2015.

A separate indictment handed down by the grand jury on Nov. 29 states Britt concealed a needle inside a body cavity and introduced a needle into the Harlan County Detention Center.

Hendrickson sentenced Britt to a total of five years in prison.