A former Ohio State Highway patrolman won’t go to prison for his involvement in aiding his wife in prescription drug crimes.

His wife was not so lucky.

Thomas, 32, and Cindy Hacker, 36, both of 188 County Road 43, Ironton, previously pleaded guilty to numerous drug counts in October.

Cindy Hacker was originally charged with 85 counts alone, which included deception to obtain dangerous drugs, ranging from second to fifth degree felonies. She was also charged with tampering with evidence.

According to the indictment, over the course of a year, Cindy called in fraudulent prescriptions to pharmacies in both Lawrence and Scioto counties for 4,897 hydrocodone-acetaminophen tablets for her own personal use.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brigham Anderson said she also had prior felony drug convictions.

Represented by Meigs County attorney Charles Knight, Cindy declined to address the court prior to sentencing.

Common Pleas Court Judge Charles Cooper sentenced her to four years and nine months in prison, ordered her to pay appropriate fines and suspended her driver’s license.

Thomas was originally charged with more than 30 charges of complicity to deception to obtain dangerous drugs. That was lowered to three counts, a third, fourth and fifth degree count each.

“Up until this time he has led a law-abiding life,” Anderson said of Thomas, adding that he was cooperative with the investigation.

Represented by Gallia County attorney William Eachus, Thomas also declined to address the court before sentencing.

Cooper sentenced Thomas to four years community-controlled sanctions with intensive supervised probation. If he violates his CCS, Thomas will be sent to prison for three years.

The Hackers were arrested in February after a two-month investigation by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. Thomas was working at the Ironton Highway Patrol Post at that time. He had been with the OSHP for 10 years.

“In some ways, you have punished yourself extremely severely with the loss of that career,” Cooper said.