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Married Attorneys Plead Not Guilty To Drug Planting Charges

IRVINE (CBS) — An Orange County husband and wife pleaded not guilty Monday morning to planting drugs on a parent-volunteer at their child's school.

Kent Easter, 38, and his wife 39-year-old wife Jill, are charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, conspiracy to file a false police report, and a false imprisonment.

Officials say Kent Easter planted Vicoden, Percocet, marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the car of Kelly Peters, a PTA volunteer at Plaza Vista School in Irvine.

Prosecutors allege the Easters, who are both attorneys, were unhappy with the way Peters cared for their son while he was at school.

The couple made cell phone calls and sent text messages to one another, as Kent Easter drove to the woman's home to plant the drugs in her unlocked vehicle just after midnight on Feb. 16, 2011, Deputy District Attorney Chris Duff said.

About 1:15 p.m. that same day, Kent Easter allegedly called Irvine police, gave a fake name and phone number and said he was a concerned parent who saw the woman's car being driven erratically at the elementary school.

Irvine police stopped Peters, who agreed to let police search her car and home, Duff said. Officers started to doubt the drugs belonged to her, and an investigation led to the Easters, Duff said.

If convicted, the couple faces up to four years in prison.

The Easters are scheduled to return to court on Oct. 12.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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