LIHUE — A mother of three who said she relapsed when her drug-dealing husband re-entered her life was given probation and a year in jail Wednesday in 5th Circuit Court. Tasia Ceenee Nicole Clagett, 26, of Kalaheo, was sentenced to
LIHUE — A mother of three who said she relapsed when her drug-dealing husband re-entered her life was given probation and a year in jail Wednesday in 5th Circuit Court.
Tasia Ceenee Nicole Clagett, 26, of Kalaheo, was sentenced to a five-year term of probation and one year in jail with credit for time served. She must comply with the Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement program, or HOPE Probation program, that offers closer supervision, more drug testing and penalties for non-compliance that include immediate jail time.
Judge Kathleen Watanabe said to Clark that now is the time to make some serious changes in her life. If she wants to keep her 10-, 4-, and 2- year-old children, there is no other option.
“Make the right choices no matter how hard it is, and sever the toxic and detrimental relationships,” Watanabe said.
Clagett has already served approximately 250 days at Kauai Community Correctional Center. She will be allowed early release when she is accepted to an in-patient drug treatment facility off-island.
Court-appointed defense attorney Rosa Flores said that Clagett has struggled through rough times, which resulted in first-degree terroristic threatening and third degree criminal property damages in 2005. Her deferred acceptance of the guilty plea was revoked in 2008.
Things looked up for her with a new term of probation and Clagett graduated from the Kauai Drug Court program on Nov. 13, 2009, Flores said. Then her partner, Lani Clark, was released from prison and returned to her life, and so did his lifestyle of drug dealing and it became a part of daily life.
Chief Judge Randal Valenciano sentenced Clark, 29, to 10 years prison on Jan. 31, on a charge of second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, and to a concurrent prison term of 5 years on Feb. 6 for first-degree theft.
Clagett was involved and when Clark returned to prison, she continued to use and deal drugs, said County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Timothy Tobin.
He said HOPE probation is appropriate as a last chance. If it fails the state would be asking for a revocation and a full prison term, he added.
Clagett was arrested on Oct. 7, 2012, on six counts of drug paraphernalia, second-degree methamphetamine trafficking, third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug and six counts of second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug. She changed her plea to no contest on March 11.
She was sentenced for third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, and a class C felony charge that carries a possible five-year prison term.
