Coshocton woman gets 7 years in prison for meth charges

COSHOCTON − A Coshocton woman was sentenced on two separate drug cases Monday in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court by Judge Robert Batchelor.

Jessica M. Cappello, 42, was indicted in December with aggravated possession of drugs, a second-degree felony, from an incident on Dec. 7. She was indicted in January with aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second-degree felony, from an incident on Nov. 14, with a note that it occurred in the vicinity of a juvenile. There was a specification to forfeit $3,266 in cash. The drug in question both times was methamphetamine.

Cappello entered guilty pleas to both charges on May 30. As part of plea negotiations, the state agreed to take no position on sentencing, not to object to bond and not to oppose a pre-sentence investigation.

She was sentenced to 7 to 10.5 years in prison for each charge to be served concurrently with the minimum term mandatory. She was granted 12 days of credit for local incarceration and will serve from 18 months to 3 years of post release control. The money was order forfeited to the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office.

Cappello read a letter she wrote in court and also gave Batchelor letters of support from her employer, a drug treatment facility she's been attending, and others. Cappello and attorney Marie Seiber asked for the sentencing to be continued as Cappello wanted to finish the drug treatment program.

Cappello felt she had changed for the better through the help and guidance she's received. She said she's working on getting her GED, is attending church regularly and has passed her drug screenings.

"I made a mistake, a big mistake. I know this reflects poorly on myself, my community and my family. I wanted to tell the court that I'm full of remorse for my actions," Cappello said. "But I was also fortunate enough and thankful in all this to find people who have helped me and not give up on me. That seriously means so much."

Batchelor questioned Cappello's remorse and also took issue with her criminal history. Cappello was convicted of drug trafficking in 2016 and 2018. The first time she was granted rehabilitation at a community based correction center and then entered into the court's drug docket program. She was terminated unsuccessfully from the program. Those were also lower level felony offenses than the current charges.

"I'm not going to argue with you or belittle you, but I do question the remorse of someone who on Nov. 14, 2022, had law enforcement contact that resulted in this charge and then committed an offense again in December. I'm struggling to find remorse there," Batchelor told the defendant. "I appreciate your efforts to change, but your efforts have come to late. You've had every opportunity to make this change before committing these serious offenses."

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton woman gets 7 years in prison for meth charges