Former Dental Worker Jailed for Fraudulent Prescriptions

KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — A former Kennewick dental hygienist accused of writing fake prescriptions for personal painkiller use has been sentenced to one year in jail.

The Tri-City Herald reports that Judge Alex Ekstrom told 44-year-old Nicole Allenton Wednesday she could serve nine months behind bars and spend the remaining three months on jail work release.

Allenton pleaded guilty in February to three counts of obtaining a controlled substance through fraud.

She also pleaded guilty in another prescription fraud case in 2012.

Allenton's attorney, Randy Jameson, had asked that his client be sentenced to three to four months behind bars followed by a jail alternative so that Allenton could seek treatment for her addiction to prescription painkillers.