LONGVIEW WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO METHAMPHETAMINE TRAFFICKING
Repeated Local Arrests and Pending Charges Failed to Deter Defendant
SHARON K. CARTER, 43, of Longview, Washington, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to the federal felony offense of Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute. This offense is punishable by a period of imprisonment of not less than five years, and up to forty years, a fine of up to two million dollars, and a mandatory period of supervised release to follow imprisonment of not less than four years.
On August 2, 2007, following an investigation by the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Narcotics Task Force, a drug task force in southern Washington, a search warrant was executed at CARTER’s residence at 199 Lazy Road in Longview, Washington. Inside her bedroom, officers found methamphetamine packaged for distribution, distribution scales, $4,750 cash proceeds, and a loaded 9 mm Makarov semi-automatic pistol. CARTER was transported to the Cowlitz County jail where she was booked on State drug charges and released on bond.
On September 14, 2007, while on bond, CARTER met with a law enforcement operative at the Towne House Motel in Longview, Washington, and, during a recorded transaction, sold the operative a 1/4 ounce of methamphetamine for $300.
On September 23, 2007, at approximately 3:21 in the morning, CARTER was stopped by a uniformed Longview Police Department Patrol Officer for a driving infraction. She was alone in her vehicle at the time. A records check revealed her driver’s license had been revoked or suspended and she was placed under arrest. A search of her purse and belongings revealed methamphetamine and marijuana packaged for sale, as well as scales, and $3,514 cash drug proceeds. CARTER was transported to the Cowlitz County jail where she was booked on State drug charges and released on bond.
On October 23, 2007, following an investigation by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was executed at CARTER’s Lazy Road residence in Longview, Washington. CARTER was inside the premises. Inside CARTER’s purse, officers found methamphetamine and marijuana packaged for distribution, a scale, packaging materials, and $3,631 drug proceeds. Approximately 173 grams of methamphetamine was recovered from the residence. Drug use paraphernalia, including methamphetamine and marijuana pipes was also recovered.
CARTER was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Western District of Washington on December 19, 2007. Following her initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Karen L. Strombom in Tacoma on December 28, 2007, she was ordered detained pending all further proceedings and has remained in federal custody since that time.
CARTER is to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle upon her guilty plea on May 2, 2008.
The case was investigated by the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Narcotics Task Force, the Longview Police Department, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald J. Friedman.
For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.
