Mountain City Residents Sentenced For Conspiring To Manufacture Methamphetamine

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Two individuals involved in a methamphetamine (meth) conspiracy in upper East Tennessee were sentenced this week by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge. On Mar. 24, 2014, Aaron A. Stout, 31, of Mountain City, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 168 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. On Mar. 26, 2014, Brittany L. Pennington, 24, of Mountain City, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 51 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

These two individuals, along with 18 others, were indicted in May 2013 for conspiring to manufacture meth and possessing equipment, chemicals, materials, and products to be used in the manufacture of meth. Stout was also charged with distributing meth. In his plea agreement, Stout admitted that he had manufactured a conservative estimate of 150 to 500 grams of meth. He further admitted that he had distributed between 50 to 150 grams of meth. All of the others associated with this case have been adjudicated guilty and have either been sentenced or will be sentenced later this year.

The charges against these individuals stemmed from a lengthy investigation spanning from August 2006 to May 2013. These individuals conspired to obtain pseudoephedrine and other products needed to manufacture meth from various sources in the Eastern District of Tennessee, Western District of North Carolina, and Western District of Virginia. The pseudoephedrine and other products were then used to manufacture meth utilizing the “shake and bake” method. The meth was used and distributed in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

This investigation was a result of the collaborative efforts of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, First Judicial District Drug Task Force, Tennessee Methamphetamine and Pharmaceutical Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Kerney-Quillen and Caryn Hebets represented the United States.