By Brenda Starkey
Chronicle correspondent

     A 35-year-old Curlew woman was charged in Ferry County Superior Court with possession of a controlled substance and third-degree theft for allegedly stealing oxycodone tablets from the home of Superior Court Judge Rebecca Baker and Joe Abraham.
     Court documents filed Nov. 20 allege that Kachina Michaelson, a housekeeper in the home, took four oxycodone tablets from Abraham's prescription pill bottle left on his dresser.
     Abraham explained to Republic Police Sgt. Ken Marcuson that he had lost prescription medication, cash and other valuables from his home and, believing the housekeeper was to blame, set a trap to catch her, according to court documents.
     He told Marcuson that he put a purple dye on his oxycodone bottle, placed 20 pills in it and placed it on his dresser before Michaelson arrived Oct. 24, according to the documents.
     When she arrived, he allegedly asked her to clean the kitchen and his bedroom, then he went outdoors to work on the greenhouse. When he came back inside after a half hour he discovered his prescription bottle had been opened and four pills were missing, court documents allege.
     No one other than Michaelson had been in the house, the documents allege.
     After informing Michaelson of her rights, Marcuson interviewed her. He noticed a purple tint on her fingers, according to court documents.
     The maximum penalty for the possession charge is five years in prison and $10,000 fine, while the maximum penalty for third-degree theft is one year imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.