Saline County Woman Charged With Methamphetamine Related Offense

Ashley Renee Uze, 27, of Harrisburg, Illinois, was arraigned today in United States District Court in Benton on an indictment charging her with possessing pseudoephedrine with the intent that it be used to manufacture methamphetamine, announced Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. The indictment, returned by a Federal Grand Jury on March 5th, alleged that the offense occurred on November 5, 2012.

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, Uze faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release to follow her incarceration.

Following the hearing, Uze was returned to the custody of the Saline County Jail where she is being held on unrelated state charges. She will return to federal court for a final pre-trial hearing on May 9th at 9:30 a.m.

The case was investigated by the Carmi office of the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.