Two Perry County Residents Charged With Methamphetamine Conspiracy

Follow @SDILNews

Two Perry County residents were indicted on October 7, 2014, in an indictment, charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Brant A. Sizemore, 38, and Stephanie A. Ellis, 36, both of DuQuoin, are charged in a one-count indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. The indictment alleges that the offense occurred between 2012 and September 2014, in Perry, Jackson, Randolph, Williamson, and Franklin Counties. Sizemore and Ellis made their initial appearances in federal court in Benton on October 9, 2014. They are both currently being held without bond pending an October 14, 2014, detention hearing.

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, Sizemore and Ellis face a term of up to 20 years in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, Perry County Drug Task Force, Murphysboro Police Department, and DuQuoin Police Department. The Pinckneyville Police Department and Illinois State Police Methamphetamine Response Team assisted in the investigation.

The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson for prosecution.