Woman gets probation in Drug Court embezzlement

Tuesday, April 27, 1999 | 10:26 a.m.

Janice Hampton apologized to the Drug Court by admitting she pilfered $34,460 from the court as a Clark County employee, apologized to her family and asked a judge for her freedom so she could raise her son.

District Court Judge John McGroarty, noting that the 36-year-old woman had never before been in trouble with the law, on Monday granted leniency by sentencing Hampton to five years probation and ordering her to pay back the money over the next four years and six months.

She had faced a possibility of 10 years in prison.

"There is nothing I can say or do to remove the shame," McGroarty said in showing mercy for Hampton, who pleaded guilty to theft on March 4 as part of a plea bargain.

The Department of Parole and Probation had recommended Hampton as a suitable candidate for probation, which the prosecution did not oppose.

"I apologize to my family and the court system," said Hampton, who had been free on her own recognizance. Members of her family were present and consoled her after the sentencing.

Hampton's son, who she had written about in a letter to the judge, could not attend the sentencing because he was in school, Hampton told McGroarty, after he inquired whether the child was in the courthouse.

The judge sentenced Hampton to 12 to 32 months in prison and then suspended the sentence.

Also, if Hampton is not employed during that period she must perform 60 hours of community service. And she must fully disclose her crime to all potential employers under the terms of her probation.

Hampton, who also is known as Janice Marie Cook, admitted that for months she stole money paid in fines and fees by Drug Court participants and altered court records to indicate the assessments had been waived or excused by a judge.