Palin daughter's boyfriend's mom pleads

PALMER, Alaska, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The mother of the boyfriend of Alaska first family member Bristol Palin pleaded not guilty to felony drug charges Monday in a Palmer courtroom.

Sherry Johnston was indicted Friday on six counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance relating to possession and sale of the prescription painkiller OxyContin.

State troopers allege Johnson, 42, admitted to selling OxyContin pills to someone working with investigators.

At her first court appearance Monday, Johnston asked for, and received, a public defender, the Anchorage Daily News reported. She told Palmer Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler she is in the midst of a divorce and living on medical disability payments and child support.

Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnston, who made headlines in September after Gov. Sarah Palin, the then-Republican vice presidential nominee, announced her teenage daughter Bristol was pregnant and he was the father.