NORTHAMPTON — A Vermont woman admitted Tuesday that there were sufficient facts to find her guilty to smuggling oxycodone pills into the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction in February 2017.
Appearing in Hampshire Superior Court, Jamie Smith, 37, of Wilder, Vermont, admitted that prosecutors had sufficient facts to find her guilty of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate the controlled substance laws and distribution of a class B substance, oxycodone. She was represented by attorney Jaime Rogers.
Smith smuggled in the oxycodone pills for her then-boyfriend Kevin LaPlaca, who was serving a six-month sentence at the time of the incident. His brother Corey LaPlaca was also at the jail serving a six-month sentence.
As part of that case, authorities listened to a series of “encrypted” phone calls between Smith and her incarcerated boyfriend, Kevin Laplaca, and authorities said the two devised a plan for Smith to smuggle heroin into the jail, according to Northampton District Court documents.
On March 13, 2017, Hampshire County Sheriff’s deputies stopped Smith and the mother of the brothers, Helen LePlaca, at the jail before a visit believing they were attempting to smuggle heroin into the jail during a visitation period, according to Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Jeremy Bucci. Smith admitted to the deputies that she was brining it in for her boyfriend and also admitted she had smuggled in pills a month before, Bucci explained in court.
In court Tuesday, Smith’s case was continued without a finding of guilty for a period of six months while she is on administrative probation. If during that time she does not run afoul of the law again the case will be dismissed. A charge of conspiracy against Smith was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
In January, Kevin LaPlaca pleaded guilty to charges of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate the controlled substance laws and possession of a drug with intent to deliver to a prisoner or prisoners. He was sentenced to two years in jail and received credit for 182 days already served.
In May, Corey LaPlaca pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the controlled substance laws and possession of a drug with intent to deliver to a prisoner or prisoners. A charge of conspiracy was dropped as part of the plea deal. He was sentenced to one year in jail with credit for 120 days he already served.
Helen LaPlaca was also charged with conspiracy to violate the controlled substance laws, conspiracy, possession of heroin with intent to distribute and distribution of oxycodone. In January her case was continued without a finding of guilty for a period of one year while she is on administrative probation for a year.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.