In the end, Waukee mom gets 30 years after avoiding prison several times for stealing from her bosses

A Waukee mother of three teared up quietly Friday as a Polk County judge sentenced her to 30 years behind bars after she stole from several employers in the Des Moines metro.

In a plea agreement, Priscilla Heronemus, 30, of Waukee, pleaded guilty to seven felonies, including three counts of forgery, two counts of fraudulent practices, identity theft and credit card fraud. 

Sitting in an orange jumpsuit in front of members of her family, Heronemus said nothing before Judge Heather Lauber handed down the sentence.

She will be required to pay an undetermined amount of restitution and participate in a victim-offender reconciliation program with her past employers, if requested.

"This course of conduct seems to be something that has taken over your life," Lauber said.

Related: 

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Heronemus told Lauber in a letter before sentencing she became addicted to opiates after a cervical cancer diagnosis in 2008. She said she had a brother who committed suicide and a sister who was a recovering heroin addict.

She wrote that she started stealing after her doctor stopped prescribing her hydrocodone in 2012.

"I've had stages of sobriety, but I always go back to the pills," she wrote.

As Heronemus awaited sentencing, the judge in the case was forced to revoke her probation after she lied to yet another employer.

Kris Clark, her probation officer, said Heronemus "provided a false last name to get hired" as an accountant at Central States Pain Clinic in West Des Moines.

Previous probation violations include forging a nurse's signature; providing false information to be hired at Candeo in Johnston; forging documents about her job with Candeo; and stealing while working as a cashier at The Woodsmith Store in Clive.

Darren Page, her defense attorney, said at the sentencing that Heronemus and her family “leveraged themselves and emptied their bank accounts” to pay private attorneys fees related to her mix of crimes.

At age 26, Heronemus received two deferred judgments and probation after pleading guilty to two felonies for ripping off employers from 2012 to 2014. Those judgments were revoked Friday.

On Friday, Lauber told Heronemus she needed to take advantage of prison programming and have a plan in place for the day she is eventually paroled.

Heronemus will be eligible to have her sentence reduced with time off for good behavior in prison.

Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Contact her at lrood@dmreg.com, 515-284-8549, on Twitter @leerood, or at facebook.com/readerswatchdog.