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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Woman pleads guilty to attempting to deal meth from hospital bed

By , Columbian Breaking News Reporter
Published:

A Washougal woman pleaded guilty Thursday to attempting to deal methamphetamine from her hospital bed.

Karin Renae Cole, 47, was out on bail from a different drug case when a criminal informant informed authorities that she was a patient at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and still trafficking drugs, according to court records.

Camas police served a search warrant at the Vancouver hospital on April 16, recovering 6 1/2 grams of meth, a digital scale, drug packaging materials and other drug-related paraphernalia, all hidden in a closet in the hospital room, Camas police Sgt. David Chaney said.

The criminal activity did not draw attention of hospital staff, authorities said.

During Thursday’s hearing, Cole pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, one of those charges stemming from an earlier drug case.

She had been arrested in January on suspicion of dealing methamphetamine out of her home on K Street in Washougal, according to documents filed in Superior Court. When Camas police interviewed her, she told them she “sells meth because she broke her foot and she is bored.”

Cole told police she has used meth off and on for 20 years. She has a lengthy criminal history of methamphetamine possession and property crimes, according to court documents.

Gerry Wear, Cole’s attorney, asked that the sentencing be set-over so that Cole could finish three weeks of physical therapy. Judge Robert Lewis allowed Cole to finish her treatment, but only because she posted $70,000 bail. Her sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 24.

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Columbian Breaking News Reporter