VALPARAISO | A mother of young children was hauled off to jail Thursday morning after pleading guilty to a felony count of money laundering.

In accordance with a plea agreement, a judge sentenced Katherine Collazo-Santiago, 26, of Grand Rapids, Mich., to six months in jail. The sentence was required because Collazo-Santiago has a 2007 conviction involving a controlled substance.

Collazo-Santiago cried as Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper mentioned the impact of the sentence on her children.

Harper said the case should serve as lesson to Collazo-Santiago to not to allow herself to be used by others.

Police discovered $265,800 in her car during a May 16 traffic stop along Interstate 94 in Burns Harbor.

Collazo-Santiago said Thursday she knew the drug-related money was in the car, but said she did not know just how much she was transporting. She was to receive a small amount of money for transporting the funds across state lines.

Police found the cash bundled in stacks in a hidden compartment in the trunk of Collazo-Santiago's 2001 Hyundai Accent after Lake County sheriff's officers pulled her over.

"It's like having a house tucked into a compartment of your car," Harper said, referring to the sum found.

The judge lauded the Lake County drug interdiction team for taking the drug money off the streets.

Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek said the Lake County team was granted two-thirds of the funds, and Porter County will receive the balance.

Prosecutors have said state law allows for forfeitures when property, such as cash or a vehicle, is used in carrying out a crime or is the result of the offense.

The charge in the case was reduced from a C to a D felony, and Collazo-Santiago will be eligible to complete the sentence in half the time with good behavior. She already has served 34 days.