March 28, 2024

Newton woman sentenced to 10 years for heroin possession

A Newton woman who pleaded guilty earlier this month to possession with intent to deliver heroin has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Morgan R. Cope, 27, was found hiding multiple bags of heroin in her genitals after her arrest on a fourth-degree theft charge in November of 2017, according to a police report. One inmate told Jasper County Jail staff they had seen a gray powder in the jail cell and Cope distributed it to someone to use.

The reports of heroin at the jail were made after Cope returned from Skiff Medical Center for treatment of medical issues related to drug use. Cope denied possessing any heroin but was seen by jail staff making movements below her bedding. When jail staff entered, they found a plastic container on the floor that contained 19 grams of powder believed to be heroin.

Cope was also sentenced in Jasper County District Court Monday to five years in prison on two counts of possession of contraband on/in grounds of a correctional facility, a class D felony. She will serve the two sentences concurrently.

A judge also ordered Cope to pay $1,750 in fines. According to court documents, she will be eligible to apply for parole before the end of the 10-year sentence.

Multiple signs are posted before entering the Jasper County Jail, addressing the penalty for bringing contraband into the facility.

Cope was initially arrested on charges of fourth-degree theft, eluding, providing false identification of information and possession of drug paraphernalia at in November of 2017. During that incident, Cope eluding police before crashing her vehicle into a ditch at the intersection of Robin and Ranch Avenues.