Three local residents could find themselves behind federal bars for a long time following their arrest last week on alleged meth distribution-related charges.
According to the United States’ Department of Justice and United States Attorney John Childress, 40-year old Nathaniel Stone, of the 800 block of South East, Jeremie Stone, of the 11-hundred block of South Diamond, and 27-year old Amber Davis, also of the 11-hundred block of South Diamond, made their initial appearance in federal court on Friday and are being charged with a federal criminal complaint.
The three Jacksonville residents were arrested last Wednesday as a result of an investigation by the Jacksonville Police Department, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the Central Illinois Enforcement Group (or CIEG Unit), the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The federal complaint against the three local residents includes charges of alleged conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to deliver 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Also, as a felon, Nathaniel Stone faces a charge of alleged possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
During Friday’s court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins, Jeremie Stone waived detention and preliminary hearing and was ordered to remain detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. For Nathaniel Stone, detention and preliminary hearings were continued, and he will next appear in federal court on Wednesday, the 27th, and Davis was release on her own recognizance.
These alleged charges carry potentially very lengthy prison sentences if the local residents are convicted. If found guilty and convicted of the offenses of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, the statutory penalty is 10 years to life in prison. And for Nathaniel Stone, the penalty for possession of a firearm during and in furtherance to a drug trafficking offense is a mandatory minimum of five years in prison to be served consecutive to any sentence ordered for the related drug offense. Also, the charges of possession of a firearm by a felon carries statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.