14 Year Sentence For Woman Caught With Meth, Scales

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 7:59 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

A Ripley County judge said the convicted dealer showed little remorse for her actions.

Anna Marie Bischoff. Photo by Ripley County Sheriff's Office.

(Ripley County, Ind.) - A woman’s lack of remorse was cited in a judge’s decision to hand her a 14-year sentence for dealing meth in Ripley County.

Anna Marie Bischoff was arrested last December when she was caught with more than 30 grams meth, hypodermic needles, and digital scales in Holton. She was taken into custody when police returned to a home where a drug bust had occurred just a day earlier after receiving a suspicious activity report from a neighbor.

Bischoff pleaded guilty in August to Dealing Methamphetamine Possession of Over 5 Grams with the Intent to Deliver (level 3 felony). In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss three other equal or lesser charges against Bischoff.

In Ripley County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Judge Ryan King ordered Bischoff to serve 12 years in prison and two years on probation.

The judge said Bischoff has shown a lack of remorse for the crime. During a presentence investigation, Bischoff allegedly said of her arrest “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

King also cited Bischoff’s violation of probation as “an aggravating factor of substantial weight” and the fact that she possessed enough meth to qualify for a charge more serious than a level 3 felony.

She could have received up to 16 years. Bischoff will receive credit for 292 actual days served in jail prior to sentencing.