Five Southern Illinois Residents Charged with Methamphetamine Offense

Five southern Illinois residents were indicted on October 4, 2016, for a methamphetamine offense, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced today.

Amber L. Williams, 23, of Percy, Justin M. Rice, 26, of Willisville, Taylor C. Robertson, 20, of Campbell Hill, Bradley M.D. Miller, 28, of Cutler, Brandon A. Rice-Edwards, a/k/a "Brandon Rice," 22, of Zeigler, and Robert J. Smith, Jr., 48, of Tilden, were charged in a one-count superseding indictment, charging conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The superseding indictment alleges that the methamphetamine offense occurred between 2014 and September 2016, in Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, and Franklin Counties. Miller and Smith made their initial appearances in federal court on October 13, 2016. The other co-defendants have previously made court appearances on the federal charge. The co-defendants are currently being held without bond pending a December 12, 2016, jury trial.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

If convicted, the methamphetamine offense carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, Percy Police Department, Steeleville Police Department, Illinois State Police, Sparta Police Department and Southern Illinois Drug Task Force. The Randolph County States Attorney’s Offices also assisted in the investigation.