ROBBER CLAIMS DRUGS WERE HER DOWNFALL

EASTON -- Jamie Rzeszowski was sent to a private college. She has a car at
her disposal, courtesy of her parents. Try Our Classifieds

Despite her privileged upbringing, the 26-year-old Bethlehem resident robbed
a 7-Eleven store at knifepoint because she needed money to feed her heroin
addiction.

"This case turns my stomach," Northampton County Judge Jack A. Panella said
during Rzeszowski's sentencing hearing Friday.

Panella sentenced Rzeszowksi to one to two years in prison, but granted her
an immediate furlough and placed her under the supervision of the county
probation department for the next six years.

Panella told Rzeszowski that most of the armed robbers and drug addicts he's
sentenced never had the advantages she had.

"A bigger disgrace I cannot imagine," Panella said. "What a horrible case."

Police said Rzeszowski displayed a Swiss army knife when she demanded money
from a cashier at the 7-Eleven at 101 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem on July 1,
2001. She pleaded guilty to robbery in June.

Rzeszowski said she has served 10 months in prison. She pleaded guilty to
receiving stolen property for cashing a bogus check for $388 on July 6,
2001. Panella said she has three theft charges pending in New Jersey.

Rzeszowski said her heroin addiction led her to commit crimes. She said she
tried marijuana with her boyfriend after high school, and that led to
heroin. She enrolled at the University of Scranton but dropped out and
finished her degree at an Allentown college.

She said she used to bring heroin to New York to do it with her boyfriend,
who attended New York University. She said they both were addicted to
heroin, and she committed her crimes with him.

"I apologize to my family for all the pain I caused," Rzeszowski said.
"Drugs are not a part of my life anymore."

But Rzeszowksi admitted that she used heroin in prison. She said a friend
smuggled it in after Rzeszowski had served five months.

Defense attorney Robert Patterson argued for leniency, saying Rzeszowski has
a strong family that will help prevent her from using drugs again.

Assistant District Attorney Janet Subers Heydt said that as Rzeszowski's
drug use escalated from social use to addiction, so could her crimes
escalate unless the judge sentenced her harshly.

"The community is entitled to protection from armed robbers," Subers Heydt
said.

Panella ordered Rzeszowski to pay a $10,000 fine and to work at least 40
hours a week. She also will volunteer five to 10 hours a week to prepare a
presentation and deliver it to high school and junior high school students
on drug addiction and what it was like spending 10 months in prison.

Panella ordered that Rzeszowski will tour a state prison, because that is
where she will go if she ever commits a crime and comes before Panella
again. Panella ordered Rzeszowski to write a report about what she sees
during the tour.

Panella said the victim of the crime will be contacted and asked whether
there is anything she wants Rzeszowski to do to help compensate for the pain
she caused.

When Panella asked Rzeszowski what she should do to make it up to the
victim, Rzeszowski said she would offer a heartfelt apology.

"That should take all of 10 minutes," Panella said.

Panella gave Rzeszowski a second chance at redemption because she would
likely be "torn apart" if he sent her to state prison.

"I'd give you two months," Panella said.

"You would walk out after five years -- if you did walk out of state
prison," Panella said.