Jacqueline Kay Leonard, 49, of Hillsboro has been sentenced to 13 years in prison following several felony drug charges and a probation violation, according to court records.
Leonard, who formerly lived in De Soto and House Springs, pleaded guilty to possession of chemicals with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance and to possession of a controlled substance, and on Oct. 22, Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Judge Mark T. Stoll sentenced her to 10 years in prison for each charge, with the two terms to be served concurrently, or at the same time, the report said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Trisha C. Stefanski handled the case.
The 10 years will be served concurrent with a 13-year sentence Leonard received after pleading guilty to a previous felony drug charge, court documents indicate.
Leonard’s most recent conviction stemmed from a traffic stop on Aug. 30, 2016, on Old Hwy. 21 near Country Club Drive in Imperial. She was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over for several traffic violations, and she initially gave a Jefferson County deputy a false name before fleeing the vehicle, the probable-cause statement said.
The driver, who was wanted on outstanding warrants, was arrested after he was found with a clear plastic bag containing a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine and two altered straws. The driver told authorities that Leonard had given him the bag after the vehicle was pulled over and asked him to hold it for her, the report said.
In addition, a loaded .32-caliber revolver was found wedged between the driver’s seat and center console. The driver, a convicted felon, told authorities he knew he wasn’t supposed to have a gun but kept it because he lived in St. Louis, according to the report.
Deputies also found a bag containing items and chemicals commonly used to make meth on the passenger side of the vehicle. The driver said he didn’t have knowledge about what was inside the bag, the report said.
Paperwork with Leonard’s true identity was found in the vehicle. Later, authorities discovered that Leonard had made purchased pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in meth, numerous times, according to the report.
Leonard also was on probation for a felony drug conviction stemming from a June 2014 incident in Jefferson County. So, her probation was revoked, and on June 28, a 13-year sentence was executed in that case, the report said.
She had previous felony drug convictions connected to incidents in November 2004 in St. Louis and in June 2013 in St. Louis County, court papers show.
Leonard currently is in is in the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia.