Kietra R. Studdard, 44, of unincorporated Fenton has been sentenced to 115 months in prison on federal drug and gun charges. The charges stem from a 2019 incident in Jefferson County, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office reported.
Studdard pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture meth and being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk handed down the sentence on March 21, according to court documents.
Studdard was arrested May 22, 2019, after Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies saw her arrive at a known drug house in Jefferson County. She removed several items from the home and put them into a blue Buick LeSabre before driving away from the house, according to the plea agreement.
The deputies followed the Buick for several miles on Hwy. 30 before pulling over the car after Studdard failed to use a turn signal and committed several lane violations by veering onto the shoulder. Deputies found substances later identified as meth and cannabis in Studdard’s right front pocket, and when they searched the car, deputies found a .9-milimeter Ruger, meth, marijuana, a yellow cannabinoid rock, a scale with drug residue, two boxes of .9-milimeter ammunition and 10 boxes of pseudoephedrine tablets, the plea agreement said.
Studdard told the deputies about the gun before the car was searched, and she said she had used meth and sold it. She also said the pseudoephedrine was to be used to “cook” meth, according to the agreement.
Studdard is not allowed to have a gun because she previously had been convicted of multiple felonies and had been imprisoned for a term exceeding one year, according to the plea.
She was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 3, 2020.
The case was investigated by the Sheriff’s Office, and assistant U.S. attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.