Man gets 15 year prison sentence in 2014 drug case

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A Scott County man caught traveling through Jackson County in the summer of 2014 with bottles of pills, methamphetamine and hypodermic syringes recently was sentenced to a 15-year prison term.

Andrew B. McKee, 55, of Austin received that sentence from Jackson Circuit Judge Richard W. Poynter after pleading guilty to dealing in methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony.

The incident leading to the plea deal began Aug. 2 when Indiana State Police Trooper Stephen Wheeles reported pulling over a 1996 Geo Metro after noticing it weaving back and forth on Interstate 65 near the Jonesville exit. Wheeles later found the vehicle’s plates were expired.

McKee told Wheeles he was driving Stacy J. Turner of Scottsburg to her job in Indianapolis, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Wheeles said Turner was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the stop and was continuously turning around in her seat, reaching for the floorboard and not paying attention.

Wheeles said while speaking to Turner outside of the vehicle, she appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and showed other signs of possible drug use, including discolored fingertips and sores on her arms that appeared to be needle marks, according to court records.

During a search of the vehicle, Wheeles said he found small baggies and a bottle containing a variety of pills, including lamotrigine, promethazine, tramadol, tizanidine, cyclobenzaprine and alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance, trazodone, naproxen and Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Police also found multiple hypodermic syringes and baggies containing white crystallized substances along with other pill bottles without labels, Wheeles reported.

During the search, Wheeles said a phone that sat in between the two front seats kept ringing and filling with text messages. He later found other cellphones in the car and a .25-caliber handgun, syringes, more baggies with drugs, a glass smoking device and a digital scale in a backpack belonging to Turner, according to court documents.

Turner did not have a permit for the handgun, Wheeles said.

McKee told Wheeles he was carrying crystal meth and blue pills called “Roxies” in his pockets along with a large bag of crystal meth in his boot that weighed approximately 32 grams and admitted he had recently used cocaine and meth.

The two were arrested on charges of dealing in methamphetamine; possession of methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony; possession of cocaine, a Level 5 felony; possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a syringe, both Level 6 felonies; and possession of paraphernalia and carrying a handgun without a permit, both Class B misdemeanors.

Turner’s trial is set for 8:30 a.m. July 14.

As part of the plea deal, the state agreed to dismissed the remaining six charges against McKee.

Poynter suspended three of the years ordering McKee to spend it on supervised probation. If McKee serves the first 10 years without getting into trouble in prison, he will be eligible to serve the remaining two years of his sentence on home detention with an electronic monitor supervised through the Jackson Jennings Community Corrections program.

He also received 173 days credit and 43.25 days good time credit.

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