Standing Pine Woman Pleads Guilty to Possession With Intent to Distribute Over 50 Grams of Methamphetamine

Jackson, MS – A Standing Pine woman pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine. 

According to court documents, on September 9, 2022, Shannen Marie Chapala, 31, distributed over 50 grams of methamphetamine in the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.  Chapala was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.

Chapala is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd Gee, Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Regional Agent in Charge Whitney Woodruff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department, the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.