SMETHPORT — A former nurse who was accused of making deceptive phone calls to obtain prescription pills was sentenced Thursday in McKean County Court.

Elaina M. Scharba, 41, of Kane, pleaded guilty Feb. 13 to charges of conspiracy to acquire or obtain possession of a controlled substance through misrepresentation and acquisition by fraud.

President Judge John Pavlock sentenced Scharba to a term of 30 days to 23 ½ months in McKean County Jail with credit for one day of time served.

Scharba allegedly conspired with Kasey Chitester to obtain controlled substances using deception; Scharba called pharmacies and pretended to be from a doctor’s office in order to obtain Tylenol 3 and lorazepam.

Chitester is scheduled to appear for a last day to plea conference on March 15.

A registered nurse who works in an opioid addiction program at Bradford Regional Medical Center spoke Thursday on Scharba’s behalf.

“(Scharba) has done everything that our treatment program has asked of her,” said the nurse, who went on to describe the requirements.

Scharba read from a letter she wrote to Pavlock.

In it, she described her transition from a wife and mother who put herself through nursing school while working full time to a pill addict. She explained that she started taking pills when she was prescribed them for multiple surgeries.

“I became someone I never imagined I could be,” Scharba said.

She noted that because of her addiction, she lost her nursing license and the “trust and respect of family and friends.”

Scharba told Pavlock that, thanks to her treatment, she has been clean for 18 months.

“Even though I’m not the same person I once was, I now think I can beat this,” she said.

Regarding her 18 months of sobriety, Pavlock told Scharba, “Regardless of what my sentence is, you should be very, very proud of that.”