Paula Whatley won’t be practicing what one local law enforcement official calls her &uot;con artist&uot; ways &045;&045; at least for awhile. She’ll be spending the next few years behind iron bars.

Whatley was sentenced to 10 years in the state penitentiary Wednesday on three felony charges she plead guilty to in January of this year, one count of theft by deception and two counts of theft of property.

Whatley’s criminal history dates back more than a decade. She even served time in the state prison in 1995 on similar charges.

Authorities said Whatley has victimized numerous people for amounts totaling in the thousands of dollars.

Since failing to appear in court in January, Whatley has been on the lam for more than seven months, until Investigator Dewayne Sanders and Deputy Mike Granthum of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department found her at a friend’s home in Beloit last Thursday.

The 48-year-old woman still has a number of other related charges pending against her and owes a host of restitution to the people and businesses she willfully stole from.

District Attorney Ed Greene said of Whatley’s history in legal system, &uot;We the people are entitled to a little relief. I have a stack of files 12 inches high dealing with her.&uot;

Dallas County Sheriff Harris Huffman Jr. described Whatley as a &uot;con-artist&uot; who has been in and out of trouble with the law for the last 20 years.