Rita M. Mueller, 35, of 130B S. 11th St., was sentenced Thursday to 3 1/2 to 10 years in a state penitentiary. She was given credit for 193 days already served. Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Francis J. Fornelli also ordered her to pay restitution of $1,300 in buy money and $90 in lab fees to the state police.

Ms. Mueller pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, stemming from a Sept. 3, 1999, incident.

Prosecutors did not insist on mandatory prison sentences because of her cooperation with authorities. However, Ms. Mueller did not appear for an Aug. 11 sentencing.

During the sentencing, Ms. Mueller told the judge she was pregnant in August and did not want to give birth in jail. She had a miscarriage in September, she said.

The judge noted she had been a fugitive after the miscarriage until she was arrested in mid-October. The judge also noted that she had sold the undercover agent at least 13 grams of cocaine.

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