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   A former prison guard who tried to sell OxyContin to inmates was sentenced in Botetourt County Circuit Court to 12 years in prison Thursday.

    Randall Robertson, 45, was a guard at the Botetourt Correctional Unit when he was arrested in a sting operation for selling the addictive painkiller.

    During his trial in May, Robertson claimed he had been set up on the charges, but at his sentencing Thursday he admitted his guilt and said he was sorry for what he'd done, according to Botetourt County Commonwealth's Attorney Joel Branscom.

    Robertson's 13-year-old daughter and 87-year-old mother testified on his behalf during the sentencing, but their testimony ultimately proved unsuccessful.

    Judge George Honts III said Robertson was a disgrace to the badge he wore, Branscom said.

    The jury had recommended that Robertson serve 25 years in jail for the two counts of distribution, but Honts suspended all but 12 years of the sentence. Branscom said the case is especially disturbing considering it was a law enforcement officer who was pedaling OxyContin, which Branscom called "the scourge of Southwest Virginia."

    -ZEKE BARLOW

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