Last Of Four Men Involved In Methamphetamine Conspiracy Sentenced In Federal Court

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Shane Howell, 41, of Flintville, Tenn., was sentenced on May 20, 2013, by the Honorable Harry S. Mattice, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 108 months in federal prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine.

Howell was the last of four individuals indicted in July 2012 and charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, along with six other offenses related to the manufacture of methamphetamine. William Shane Reid, 34, of Flintville, Tenn.; William Scott Cunningham, 34, of Fayetteville, Tenn.; and James Thomas Hobbs, 32, of Fayetteville, Tenn., were previously sentenced by Judge Mattice in February 2013. Reid was sentenced to 170 months in federal prison, while Cunningham and Hobbs each received sentences of 70 months in prison.

This investigation, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), resulted in several seizures of finished methamphetamine, as well as meth labs in and around Lincoln County, Tenn. These four individuals and other uncharged conspirators are believed to be responsible for more than 200 grams of methamphetamine.

Agencies involved in this investigation included the ATF, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. Terra L. Bay, Assistant U.S. Attorney, represented the United States.