Kristen McCoy, 44, from Stanhope, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 29, 2011, guilty plea to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine.

At the plea hearing, McCoy admitted she conspired to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine from about 2008 through January 2011, in the Hamilton County, Iowa, area. On July 2, 2010, law enforcement officers conducted searches of a motor vehicle occupied by McCoy and co-defendant Todd Reynolds in Wright County, Iowa, and their residence in Hamilton County, Iowa. Officers seized drug paraphernalia, a small amount of methamphetamine, and approximately 34.39 grams of pseudoephedrine (precursor for methamphetamine) and several items consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine. McCoy also acknowledged that, according to pseudoephedrine purchase logs (obtained by law enforcement), McCoy and Reynolds purchased approximately 320.16 grams of pseudoephedrine between 2009 and January 2011 for the purposes of manufacturing methamphetamine.

McCoy was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. McCoy was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. She must also serve a 4-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. McCoy is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Webster City Police Department, the Fort Dodge Police Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wright County Sheriff’s Office.