Mishawaka Woman Sentenced on Marshall County Drug Charges

A Mishawaka woman who admitted trying to sell prescription pain pills was sentenced recently to 10 years in prison, with six years executed and four years suspended.

Billie Jo Chipps, 40, of Mishawaka, admitted to agreeing to sell 150 Oxycodone pills for $22 each on May 20, 2014, according to documents from Marshall Superior Court. Officers from the Plymouth Police Department and Indiana State Police were executing a search warrant at a home, and the owner’s cell phone kept alerting to the presence of new text messages. One of the officers responded to the messages from “Billie Jo.” Evidence offered in court indicates Chipps negotiated the delivery and price of the pills and texted “I am here” when she arrived at the residence. Officers searched her purse and found a plastic baggie full of pills, which are only available by prescription.