BRIEFS: Guilty verdict for beating death

KALISPELL, Mont (AP):

A Kalispell woman has been sentenced to eight years in prison after she pleaded guilty to helping cover up the beating death of a medical marijuana patient.

District Judge Stewart Stadler handed down the sentence on Karrolyn Robinson on Thursday. She had pleaded guilty in October to tampering with evidence and theft.

Robinson's common-law husband, Robert Lake, and Jeffrey Nixon are charged with deliberate homicide in the April beating death of Wesley Collins.

Robinson admitted taking marijuana plants from Collins' apartment and to asking Lake's brother to delete text messages from Lake's cellphone before she turned it over to police.

Police found three marijuana plants and many of Collins' personal belongings during a search of Robinson's apartment.

Woman gets 12 years for human trafficking

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP):

A federal judge has sentenced an Ohio woman to 12 months in prison for her role in a fraud and human-trafficking case.

United States District Court Judge James Graham on Friday acknowledged the cooperation provided by Maria Terechina (tara-CHEE'-nuh) since prosecutors opened an investigation two years ago.

Federal prosecutors say Terechina helped trick hundreds of Eastern European women into taking hotel jobs in Ohio they couldn't escape because Terechina took their passports.

They also say she helped defraud the Internal Revenue Service of $185,000 by filing false tax returns on behalf of the workers.

Earlier this year in Pennsyl-vania, six men pleaded guilty to harbouring immigrants illegally in a case connected to the allegations against Terechina.

Marijuana rules

PHOENIX (AP):

Arizona regulators have posted preliminary rules for users and sellers of medical marijuana intended to make sure only those who truly need pot can get it.

Department of Health Services Director Will Humble said Friday his goal is to avoid practices in other states with less stringent rules.

The rules come more than a month after Arizona voters approved medical marijuana.

Patients seeking pot would need a recommendation from a doctor licensed in Arizona, who has either been treating the person for a year, or who takes primary responsibility for their care.

The preliminary rules are open to public comment. Final rules will be released March 28, and patients can begin applying for marijuana cards in April.