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CONVENT, La. (AP) — A St. James Parish School Board member will step down from his post after having reached a plea deal with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid prison over pharmacy-shopping charges.
On Monday, 27-year-old Tyler J. Jasmin pleaded guilty at the Parish Courthouse in Convent to one count of obtaining a controlled dangerous substance by fraud, reported the Advocate (http://bit.ly/1N7Xa7F ). He admitted to photocopying a valid prescription for hydrocodone and using it Aug. 22 at various pharmacies to receive extra tablets he had not been prescribed.
As part of the plea to one felony count of obtaining a controlled dangerous substance by fraud, Judge Jessie LeBlanc gave Jasmin a three-year suspended prison sentence, three years' probation and ordered him to step down from the board by April 25.
Jasmin, who is not affiliated with any political party, represents District 6 on the west bank. He won the seat in November 2014, and took office in January 2015.
State law stipulates that an elected official convicted of a felony while in office must step down immediately, but that doesn't bar the official from running again under a recent court ruling. Under Jasmin's plea agreement, prosecutors with the state Attorney General's Office also did not bar him from seeking office again.
Jasmin was going to enter his guilty plea in February, but balked over the condition that he step down.
"It was a condition that Mr. Jasmin needed time to think about because he enjoyed serving," said his attorney, Nghana Gauff. "But at this point, he's committed to moving forward with his life and has not foreclosed the possibility of his running for office in the future."
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
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