Augusta — A former assistant coroner in Augusta has been sentenced to seven years' probation after pleading guilty to stealing gift cards from the scene of suicide.

Augusta Superior Court Judge J. Carlisle Overstreet also ordered 44-year-old Charlena Graham on Monday to pay $325 in restitution and $5,000 in fines for the New Year's Eve crime.

Authorities say she used the gift cards at local stores after taking them from the personal belongings of a 29-year-old woman who had committed suicide with a gun.

Graham apologized in court for causing additional grief to the victim's family and embarrassment to her family and the coroner's office. She was fired after her January arrest.

She could have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for the crime.