A woman who kept pushing her luck with police was given an eight-year sentence on a number of counts, including trying to smuggle drugs into the county jail. However, most of her time will be served on probation.
The woman, Mary Elizabeth Tanner, 30, entered guilty pleas before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley to charges of simple possession of morphine and hydromorphone, and introduction of contraband into a penal institution. She was directed to serve 167 days of an eight-year sentence and pay $2,000 plus costs. She will be allowed to enter the 18-month drug court program as part of her sentencing agreement.
Her charges come after she was pulled over by McMinnville patrolman Ben Cantrell for not wearing a seatbelt. It was at that point she began piling up criminal charges when she told him her name was Brenda Bess. It was not long before the officer figured out her real name was Mary Tanner, a fact which she admitted when she was confronted with the allegation of lying to the officer.
Her hole got deeper when the check of the driver license belonging to Tanner came back revoked after she failed to satisfy a judgment following an accident in March of 2011. The revelation led to her arrest.
Still another charge came during a brief check of her vehicle during which a meth pipe, weighing scales and some pills were found. It was during that time, Tanner was hit with another criminal charge as she wiggled out of her handcuffs and had to be restrained again.
Following the incidents at the scene of her traffic stop, Tanner was warned to reveal any more drugs or contraband on her person before she was booked into the jail. However, Tanner neglected to mention a black bag she had concealed on her person containing a needle, arm band and morphine tablets. The bag and its contents were found during a close search of her person before she was placed into the jail population, the last discovery bringing an introduction of contraband charge.