A Peyton woman accused of being married to two soldiers at once was sentenced to two years probation Monday for her guilty plea to forgery.

Fourth Judicial District prosecutors dropped a bigamy charge against Tammy Ann Patton in exchange for her plea.

At her sentencing hearing, Patton’s first husband, Sgt. Eugene A. Patton, said their marriage “had been a lie from the first day of my deployment.”

He told District Judge Larry Schwartz that she had relationships with five different men and ran up bills that eventually forced him to file for bankruptcy and have his house go into foreclosure.

While he was in Iraq, Patton said his wife told him she was pregnant with twins and sent him ultrasound images. But when he returned home, Patton said he discovered that the images had been downloaded off the Internet. He also said he found 30 letters he had sent home, all unopened.

“All that she did was calculated,” he said. “This time she broke the law and was caught.”

Tammy Patton told the judge that while she disagreed with what her former husband said, she took full responsibility for her actions.

“I can’t justify anything that I’ve done,” she said. “This is wrong, what I did.”

Schwartz told her taking responsibility is the first step toward rehabilitation. In addition to probation, he also ordered her to undergo a mental health evaluation.

For more court coverage, visit “The Sidebar” blog at gazettedev.gazette.com

Slathered with a taste of Thailand, this sandwich uses simple techniques and bold flavor to make a quick meal. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Larry Crowe