Jennifer Perdue

A Butler woman was sentenced to probation on retail theft and drug possession charges in Butler County Court on Wednesday.

Jennifer N. Perdue, 40, was sentenced to 24 months' probation, $200 in fines and 25 hours of community service by county Judge Timothy McCune after pleading guilty to misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and two misdemeanor counts of retail theft.

Perdue was initially charged with felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, misdemeanor retail theft, possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of possession of a controlled substance after an incident at the Friedman's Freshmarket on West Brady Street, Butler, on Nov. 26.

Butler police said Perdue attempted to steal a $3 bottle of dish detergent, and when arrested, was found in possession of a large amount of suspected heroin and other drugs.

Police were called to the store about 3:25 p.m. after the manager spotted the woman stuffing the merchandise in her clothing and stopped her, according to court documents.

She was also found in possession of a makeup bag in her purse that contained 68 stamp bags of suspected heroin and a crack pipe. Additionally, documents said, a search of the purse turned up a prescription bottle with an assortment of pills, including the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam and the sedative zolpidem.

She was also charged with retail theft in an incident in Butler on June 10. Perdue was awaiting disposition of that charge at the time of the November incident.

She was held in the Butler County Prison on $5,000 cash bail, which was posted Dec. 13.