Woman who stole copper admits drug addiction

A Carson City woman who stole copper from a Gardnerville home store will have her charges reduced if she can complete a drug program.

Cara Sutton, 24, admitted to District Judge Michael Gibbons that she was an addict on Monday.

Sutton and two accomplices entered the Gardnerville Meeks on July 15. Sutton said she threw a roll of wire over the fence with the intention of selling it.

Sutton denied she was going to sell the wire for drugs, but she tested positive for methamphetamine at her arraignment and was taken into custody.

Gibbons sentenced Sutton to 12-36 months in prison for burglary and suspended the sentence while she attended Western Regional Drug Court.

Should Sutton complete drug court, Gibbons said the court could still order her to prison.

Defense attorney Kris Brown pointed out that there was no violence in the case and that the amount of the theft was only $500.

"She has a drug problem, but she was in denial," Brown said. "Even if she's not a junkie in a traditional sense, she is addicted to the drug."

Gibbons said that Sutton needed to persuade the court and prosecutors that she's turned her life around.

"You could end up in prison," he said. "So far it doesn't look too good."