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Press Release

Fort Worth Man Sentenced To 192 Months In Federal Prison On Methamphetamine Distribution Conviction

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas

DALLAS — Charles Michael Owens, 28, of Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to 192 months (16 years) in federal prison for possessing, with the intent to distribute, methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

According to plea papers filed in the case, Owens admitted that on June 29, 2012, he knowingly and intentionally possessed, with intent to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

That morning, law enforcement observed Owens as he left his residence on McLemore Avenue in Fort Worth, got into a black Cadillac and drove away.  When a deputy with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office attempted to initiate a traffic stop because Owens had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant, Owens did not stop.  While he also did not stop for a Fort Worth Police officer after running a stop sign, he did tap his brakes and throw something out of the window.  He continued to drive and ran another stop sign; he eventually stopped in the 1100 block of North Riverside Drive in Fort Worth.

A narcotics-detecting dog alerted positively to the presence of controlled substances in Owens’s vehicle, and officers found $57,573 in cash in a non-functional 12-volt automotive battery that had been hollowed out.  Officers also recovered a plastic bag containing methamphetamine that Owens had thrown from the vehicle, and pursuant to a state search warrant, law enforcement recovered a digital scale and hand-written drug-related notes in his residence.

The case was investigated by HIDTA, the Fort Worth Police Department and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters prosecuted.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John de la Garza is handling the forfeiture.

Updated June 22, 2015