LONDON, KY - A Williamsburg, Ky., man who previously admitted providing prescription pills to a former Whitley County Sheriff was sentenced to 33 months in prison on drug charges.
U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove sentenced 35-year-old James A. Meradith on Friday for a conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone.
Meradith admitted at his guilty plea that he gave three Oxycodone pills to former Whitley County Sheriff Lawrence Hodge in exchange for a sheriff’s department issued shotgun in December of 2010. Additionally, Meradith acknowledged he made trips to Jellico, Tenn. to obtain pills for Hodge.
Hodge was sentenced in September of 2011 to more than 15 years in prison for conspiracies involving drugs, extortion and money laundering.
According to Meradith’s plea agreement, he was part of a drug conspiracy with Hodge and other individuals from Whitley County starting sometime between November and December of 2010 up until February of 2011. Meradith distributed more than 300 pills during this time frame.
Under federal law, Meradith must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence. Once he’s released, Meradith will serve 36 months of supervised release.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Paul J. Vido, Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Rodney Brewer, Kentucky State Police Commissioner jointly made the announcement today.
The investigation was conducted by ATF and Kentucky State Police. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Sam Dotson.
