Sheila Bijeaux

A north county woman charged with manslaughter in the 2007 drug overdose death of her daughter-in-law has served nearly all of the one-year sentence she received November 8 after entering a no contest plea in circuit court.

Sheila Bijeaux, 52, when she was arrested last December, has been in county jail ever since and will remain there less than one month before beginning a two-year probation.

She also pleaded to giving Methadone to victim Amanda Marie Bijeaux, then 29, the night of September 24, 2007 in sufficient quantity to cause what an autopsy determined as the cause of death — drug intoxication.

The accused initially told police her daughter took the drug accidentally, and that she was accustomed to taking Xanax.

The case lay dormant until October of last year when sheriff’s investigator Steve Harvey interviewed Mrs. Bijeaux’s son in prison. He was married to the victim and said he believed his mother planned to kill his wife by switching the drugs before she went to sleep that night at their residence on Frank Combs Circle.

Andrew Cardenas

In another sentencing, a co-defendant charged with a series of vehicle burglaries in an east Macclenny neighborhood will serve three years in prison.

Andrew Cardenas, 20, of Macclenny will be on probation two years following release and was credited 181 days for time he has been in county jail.

Circuit Judge Phyllis Rosier also ordered him to pay $2900 restitution to several victims whose property was damaged. Mr. Cardenas pleaded no contest to seven coupled counts of burglary of vehicles, grand and petty theft.

Six cases against his co-defendant Connor McLean of Glen St. Mary have yet to be adjudicated.

A number of other defendants were sentenced to terms in county jail during the same court session:

• Randall Barton Jr. pleaded no contest to battery and felony battery on a pregnant woman and got a year in jail followed by 2½ years on drug offender probation. The state dropped a charge of disorderly intoxication.

• Aaron Wilkerson entered a no contest plea to burglary and theft of a firearm and was allowed 114 days credit against his sentence of 364 days in jail. Judge Rosier ordered two years of supervised probation following release.

• The state dropped counts of aggravated assault and failure to appear in court in the case of Clayton Williams, who pleaded to three counts of violating a domestic violence injunction.

He will serve a 232-day sentence and be on probation a year following release.

• Jade Matteson was ordered to pay $381 restitution to his victim in addition to serving six months in jail for burglary and grand theft auto. He will be on probation two years following release.

• Karissa Garcia pleaded no contest to bringing contraband into Baker Correctional and will be on house arrest six months, followed by 18 months on drug offender probation. Judge Rosier withheld adjudication of guilt and ordered her to pay a $500 investigative cost.

• A restitution order of $615 for both victims was part of the sentence handed down to Cody Hodges in return for a no contest plea to grand theft. He will be on house arrest six months and probation for another year.

The state dropped counts of criminal mischief and burglary as part of the plea pact.

• Oscar Dyer will spend a year on drug offender probation and do 50 hours of community service work after pleading no contest to felony possession of marijuana and a controlled drug.

• Johnie Jackson will be in county jail two months, followed by 10 months on house arrest after pleading to felony driving on a suspended license.

• Gary Markham will enter inpatient drug treatment and be on drug offender probation four years for sale and possession of marijuana. The state dropped charges of growing pot and Judge Rosier ordered him to pay a $300 investigatory cost.

• Michael Mamula also will be in drug treatment followed by two years on drug offender probation for felony possession of marijuana and having drug paraphernalia.

Three defendants admitted to violating probation: Troy Melton, who got two years on house arrest; Amanda Fields, who drew a six-month jail sentence; Chasity Fleming, who got 11 months in jail.