KAZ MAURO

IRON MOUNTAIN — A woman will spend two to 20 years in prison for dealing methamphetamine.

Defense attorney Dan Jaspen noted before sentencing Tuesday in Dickinson County Circuit Court that 32-year-old Kaz Mauro had only one misdemeanor on her record before being charged with delivery or manufacture of methamphetamine.

Jaspen asked the court consider allowing Mauro to enter the prison’s alternative incarceration program or boot camp after serving six months of her sentence.

But Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristin Kass said because Mauro had transitioned from addict to dealer, punishment should be at the forefront of her sentence.

“A case like this shows how serious methamphetamine is taken and the consequences it brings,” Kass said.

Mauro apologized to the court.

Dickinson County Circuit Judge Mary Barglind hoped prison would provide Mauro with continued rehabilitation.

“You can’t do it again. Not ever. Not once,” Barglind said.

According to the criminal complaint, Iron Mountain police officers June 10 reportedly found five small bags of methamphetamine in Mauro’s purse after stopping a vehicle, based on information from the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team after a two-week investigation.

Mauro pleaded guilty July 22 in exchange for Kass’s recommendation for a county jail sentence. But scoring guidelines in the pre-sentence investigation report — which included Mauro transporting narcotics across state lines — ruled out a county jail sentence.

Barglind gave Mauro the opportunity to withdraw her plea before sentencing, which Mauro declined.