Sentencing has been handed down to a Howell-area pharmacy technician who stole over 30,000 pills from a local hospital.

35-year-old Kelly Leanne Hodge was sentenced Thursday to 90 days in jail and five years of probation. Judge Miriam Cavanaugh issued the sentence, which also calls for Hodge to make restitution at just over $107,698. The restitution amount is based on the estimated value of prescription medications Hodge admitted to stealing from St. Joseph Mercy Brighton hospital, where she was employed.

Authorities say the pills were stolen during an 18-month period that began in November of 2015. Hospital officials noticed the theft after conducting an inventory which indicated approximately 12,000 pills had been taken over the course of five months. The hospital contacted police and a follow-up audit found nearly 32,000 doses had gone missing in a year and a half.

According to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Hodge's pharmacy technician license was issued in October of 2015, just a month before the theft reportedly began. (DK)