Sioux Falls Man Pleads Guilty To Possession Of A Controlled Substance

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that David Andrews, age 31, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota appeared before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on February 21, 2013 and pled guilty to the Superseding Information that charged him with Possession of a Controlled Substance. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 1 year of imprisonment, a minimum fine of $1,000 but not more than $100,000, or both; not more than 1 year of supervised release and an additional year of supervised release upon revocation. Restitution and $25 to the Victim Assistance Fund may also be imposed.

The charge stems from an incident wherein a South Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper stopped to provide assistance to a vehicle sitting along the side of Highway 44. There was smoke coming from under the hood and the vehicle's hazzard lights were on. There were three men with the vehicle, and Andrews was sitting in the back seat. During the trooper's contact with the three men, a pack of Newport cigarettes stuffed with a plastic bag with 12.8 grams of methamphetamine was found by the air intake near the front left fender of the vehicle. Trace amounts of marijuana were located inside the head band of a baseball cap located in the back seat, and a glass pipe was also found stuffed in between the rear seat cushions. A urine sample was obtained from Andrews who tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine and marijuana.

The investigation was conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich is prosecuting the case. Andrews was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing. A sentencing date has been set for May 6, 2013.