Eight Mason City residents plead guilty to distributing meth

CEDAR RAPIDS – Eight Mason City, Iowa, people who conspired to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty, in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Amy Marie Campbell, age 34, Freddy Lee Jones, age 23, Shelly Marie Rohrer, age 36, Stephen Lynn Collins, age 26, Slade Allen Smith, age 39, Amanda Marie Eldridge, age 33, Chad Michael Seger, age 35, and Corey Alan Gardner, age 33, all of Mason City, Iowa, have pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Campbell pled guilty March 28, 2013. Jones pled guilty April 3, 2013. Rohrer, Collins, Smith, Eldridge, and Seger, pled guilty April 4, 2013, and Gardner pled guilty April 5, 2013. Campbell, Seger and Gardner also pled guilty to one count of distributing methamphetamine; Jones and Eldridge also pled guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute; and Collins also pled to one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

During the conspiracy from November 20, 2011, through January 2013, Campbell, Jones, Rohrer, Collins, Smith, Eldridge, Seger, and Gardner were supplied methamphetamine by several sources, and were involved in the distribution of the methamphetamine. During October 2012 Campbell, Seger and Gardner each distributed methamphetamine to a confidential source. During a search in September 2012, Jones was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, which he intended to resell. During a search in November 2012, Eldridge was in possession of methamphetamine which she had obtained in Minnesota, which she intended to resell. During a traffic stop in November 2012 Collins was armed with a pistol which he used to protect himself in furtherance of his drug activity.

Gardner was previously convicted of a felony drug offense in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, in April 2006.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Eldridge, Seger, and Jones were taken into custody, and Rohrer, Gardner, Collins, Smith, and Campbell remain in the custody of the United States Marshal.

Campbell, Collins, Smith, and Eldridge, face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and 10 years of supervised release following any imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, Gardner faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and 20 years of supervised release following any imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, and Jones, Rohrer, and Seger face a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and 4 years supervised release following any imprisonment on the conspiracy charge. On the distribution charge Campbell and Seger face a possible maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and 3 years supervised release following any imprisonment, and Gardner faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment and 8 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. On the possess with intent to distribute charge Eldridge faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and 4 years supervised release following any imprisonment, and Jones faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and 3 years supervised release following any imprisonment. On the gun charge, Collins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, to be served in addition to the punishment provided for the drug count, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment and 5 years supervised release

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and was investigated by the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Mason City Police Department, Clear Lake Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.