Woman sent to prison for 3 years

Defendant Samantha J. Reed told the judge she wished she had taken the opportunity to go to a locked-down treatment center when he offered it to her years ago in another case.However, the now 24-year-old Norwalk woman chose prison.Reed is heading back, this time for three years.She will serve a 180-day sentence for driving under the influence at the same time she does one year in prison for a related conviction of vehicular assault. Consecutive to the one-year term, Reed will spend two years for an unrelated charge of possession of drug-manufacturing chemicals. She entered guilty pleas to the three charges in September. "I have a problem with alcohol and drugs," Reed told Huron County Common Pleas Judge Jim Conway. "I will always be an addict."Reed wasn't in a drug or counseling program when she went partying New Year's 2015. She said she thought she could handle a night out — her first since she was out of prison. She was under the influence when she was westbound on Auster Road just east of Chenango Road and failed to negotiate a curve. Prosecutors have said Reed's blood-alcohol content level tested at .157 percent — nearly twice the legal limit for drivers in Ohio of .08 percent.The legs of her passenger, Darren M. Burke, were pinned from the damage to the 2000 Ford Ranger. Authorities have said he broke both legs and has a serious back injury.Huron County Common Pleas Judge Jim Conway said even though Burke and his family didn't submit a victim-impact statement or a restitution request to prosecutors, it's possible Reed could face a civil lawsuit related to the Jan. 1 crash. The judge also said he believes the victim continues to recover and suffered a significant financial loss due to medical expenses. Reed said she hopes one day she can make amends to her friend, Burke. Defense attorney T. Douglas Clifford said Reed had a "tremendous amount of guilt" over the crash and Burke's injuries and she returned to "hanging out with what I would call her criminal peers."That led to Reed's eventual conviction for possession of drug-manufacturing chemicals. She was out on bond in the other case when the Norwalk Police Department found evidence of methamphetamine being produced at a Woodlawn Avenue residence on June 14."This has been a horrible year for her," said Reed's attorney, who said he asked his client what she was thinking when she was arrested for her role in the meth lab raid."She had been sober from drugs since she was released from prison the last time," Clifford added.Huron County Prosecutor Daivia Kasper requested a 17-month prison sentence for the vehicular assault plus two years for the meth case."We ask the prison sentences be run consecutively," she said.In addition to her three-year prison term, Reed must reimburse METRICH $40 for drug testing. Norwalk police is a member of METRICH, a 10-county drug task force. Also, Reed's driver's license was suspended for three yearsReed had requested her attorney ask for a four- to six-month term in a community-based corrections facility, but Clifford said he told her that wasn't likely, given her record. However, he noted his client wants to "get on the right path." A CBCF is a form of prison which focuses on treatment and education."I want recovery; I want this," Reed said. "This is not the life I want."Conway, when reviewing her criminal record, said Reed has a history of substance abuse, but she just now is realizing her addiction affects more than just herself. The judge ruled she is at a high risk to re-offend.Reed