Former YPD officer pleads guilty to charges related to sister's death
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A former Youngstown police officer has pleaded guilty to failing to provide care for her physically challenged sister.
Barbara Copeland was charged with failure to provide for a functionally impaired person in relation to the death of her sister, Mary Fields, in October 2015.
Fields died of a stroke, but the indictment alleges Copeland was responsible for contributing to Fields' death by malnutrition, dehydration and failing to provide running water.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Copeland must seek mental health treatment, which her attorney tells 21 News she has already been undergoing.
If Copeland completes the treatment, the charges will be dismissed.
Copeland resigned as a police officer after 14 and a half years with the department.
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