LONDON, KY - A Barbourville, Ky., man who previously admitted his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy and violently assaulting a government witness received five years in prison.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove sentenced 23-year-old Kevin Richard Engle to five years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, conspiracy to cause bodily injury to a government witness and causing bodily injury to a government witness.
Engle admitted that, from 2009 through 2011, he provided pseudoephedrine to others in Knox County who used it to manufactured methamphetamine; Engle received methamphetamine in return. Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient used to manufacture methamphetamine.
In April 2011, Engle conspired with a co-defendant to assault a witness to their crimes. They lured the witness to an isolated location in Knox County and viciously assaulted the witness. After they beat the witness, they stole the witness’ cell phone to prevent the witness from calling for medical assistance.
During Engle’s first court appearance, he threatened another government witness. Judge Van Tatenhove cited this threat as one of the reasons he imposed a sentence higher than the applicable federal sentencing guideline range for Engle’s crimes.
Under federal law, the Engle must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence, and, upon release, will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for at least five years.
In May of this year, Engle entered a guilty plea to the charges in the indictment.
Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Wendy Haney, Special Agent in Charge, United States Forest Service, and Rodney Brewer, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation preceding the Indictment was conducted by the United States Forest Service and the Kentucky State Police. The United States was represented in the case by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Pratt.
