Ava Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Ava, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.

Rhett I. Scofield, 34, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On May 29, 2019, Scofield pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine to distribute and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Officers with the Douglas County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at Scofield’s residence on July 12, 2017. Officers found methamphetamine in a backpack in Scofield’s bedroom. Inside a bedroom safe, they found three more baggies of methamphetamine (two of which were tested, and weighed 72.7 grams) and $5,800. Officers also found a Taurus .380-caliber pistol on the dresser in the bedroom.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the Douglas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.