Suspect fails to complete presentence paper work

A former Minden resident who admitted illegally obtaining thousands of pills by posing as a physician or nurse and phoning in illegal prescriptions failed to complete information ordered for her presentence report.

Roberta Bronwyn Jones, 48, faces up to four years in prison, or may be admitted to drug court in California.

"I can't even start to help someone until they start to help themselves," District Judge Dave Gamble said Tuesday when Jones showed up for sentencing unprepared.

He ordered Jones, who moved to Berkeley, Calif., to remain in Nevada until she completes the paper work for the state parole and probation department.

The information is used for sentencing recommendations.

She claimed to have overlooked the report because she was overwhelmed by her mother's death in December, settlement of her mother's estate and efforts to get off drugs.

Jones also failed to get a court-ordered substance abuse evaluation.

She pleaded guilty in May to attempting to obtain controlled substances by fraud. The crime can be treated as a felony or gross misdemeanor.

She is accused of committing the crimes between November 2008 and October 2009.

According to reports, Jones called five pharmacies and obtained 2,110 hydrocodone and oxycodone pills between March and October 2009.

In one month, she reportedly obtained 560 pills.

Jones said she became drug dependent when she had a kidney stone and was taking 20-30 prescription pain relievers a day.

Gamble set sentencing for July 13.

"So long as an addict has some kind of excuse, you'll still be an addict," Gamble said. "You blamed your mother, your sister, your kidney stones. It's your only responsibility right now."

"If you don't complete the paper work, you'll be in jail until I get tired of you being there," he said.

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