Nov. 13 , 2006

GREENWOOD COUNTY WOMAN
SENTENCED ON DRUG CHARGES

 

Belinda Cooper’s home in Hilltop, Kan., was where Sheriff Matt Samuels was killed

 

WICHITA, KAN. – A Greenwood County woman who has been in jail since Sheriff Matt Samuels was killed Jan. 19, 2005, was sentenced Monday to 24 months in federal prison.

Belinda Cooper, 38, also will be required to serve 3 years on supervised release after she completes her sentence, including 6 months in a halfway house.

Cooper pleaded guilty in September to five drug counts including one count of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, one count of establishing a facility to manufacture methamphetamine, one count of using a telephone in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and two counts of possessing firearms while unlawfully using controlled substances.

In her plea, Cooper admitted that on Jan. 19, 2005, she allowed Scott D. Cheever, Billy G. Nowell, Matthew D. Denny and her husband, Darrell E. Cooper, to manufacture methamphetamine in her home at 2612 310th street in Hilltop, Kan. She and her husband were methamphetamine users. They allowed their home to be used in return for a portion of the methamphetamine manufactured there.
At about 9 a.m. that morning, Rhonda O’Brien called to say that the Greenwood County Sheriff’s office was on the way to the Coopers’ house. After speaking with O’Brien, Belinda Cooper went upstair to warn Scott Cheever, where she saw Cheever and Matthew Denny working in a methamphetamine laboratory.

At about 9:45 a.m. Greenwood County Sheriff Matt Samuels arrived with a warrant for Cheever’s arrest in connection with a burglary at the home of Donald Freisner, Cheever’s stepfather, and the theft of firearms and other property from Freisner. Samuels first searched the main level of the house. He was about to go upstairs when Cheever shot him twice with a .44 caliber revolver, killing the sheriff.

Cheever was arrested several hours later after a standoff with police.

Cooper cooperated with federal and state investigations of Samuels’ killing and testified in the trial of Matt Denny in state district court in Butler County, Kan.

Cheever is facing the following charges in Greenwood County: one count of capital murder; four counts of attempted capital murder; one count of manufacture of methamphetamine; one count of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; one count of criminal possession of a firearm.

Other defendants include:

Billy G. Nowell, who is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 20.
Darrell Cooper, who was sentenced to 46 months.
Rhonda O’Brien, who was sentenced in September to time served.
Matt Denny, who was tried and convicted on drug charges in state district court.

Melgren commended the prosecutors, as well as the law enforcement agencies that assisted in the case, including the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the Woodson County Sheriff’s Office, and other nearby law enforcement agencies.

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