POULSBO — Stacey Lee Smaaladen, the former Poulsbo police officer caught on surveillance footage apparently stealing prescription medications from a drop box at City Hall, has had her petition to Kitsap County Drug Court denied.

Tina Robinson, Kitsap County’s prosecuting attorney, said, “The reason she was denied drug court is because after this was all discovered, she immediately checked herself into treatment, including going into in-patient treatment. She successfully completed both in-patient and out-patient treatment. She continues to do routine UAs (urinary analysis) and continues to do other kinds of counseling.”

Smaaladen, Robinson said, has been clean for nine months.

“Drug court is meant for people who cannot get their addictions under control by themselves,” the prosecutor said. “She’s got a huge support system.”

Instead of drug court, Smaaladen will now be seeking admittance into the county’s Felony Diversion Program. The prosecutor was confident that Smaaladen would be admitted into the program. However, if she is not, the former officer will be left with two choices: plead guilty or go to trial.

“We don’t believe we should punish people when they do all the right things to clean up their lives,” Robinson said, noting that if Smaaladen completes the Felony Diversion Program — which includes 48 hours of community service, an $850 program fee, maintaining law-abiding behavior and regular check-ins — her case will be dismissed after one year.

In June, Smaaladen submitted her retirement to Poulsbo’s chief of police, Dan Schoonmaker, after 23 years with the department.

—Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter with Kitsap News Group. Nick can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com