Sentencing is set for Sept. 27 for an Alabama man found guilty of trafficking in hundreds of grams of methamphetamine, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Chase Zeller Steverson, 35, of Daleville, Ala., was found guilty of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 200 grams), Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device, and Possession of Paraphernalia.
Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered the defendant held without bond until his sentencing.
“Thanks to the dedication and efforts of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division, another drug trafficker is locked up and off of our streets,” Prosecutor Josh James said. “This was a large amount of methamphetamine that never had a chance to get into the users’ hands.”
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James called three witnesses – the 2 Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators on the case and a Florida Department of Law Enforcement analyst – to prove the State’s case.
Witness testimony and evidence showed that during a phone call, the defendant agreed to sell 16 ounces of methamphetamine at a predetermined location.
When the defendant arrived, he was advised of his rights and a used hypodermic needle was found in his pants pocket. It tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.
The defendant told investigators the methamphetamine he brought to sell was hidden in the bottom of a fake bleach bottle in the trunk. Investigators found nearly 450 grams of methamphetamine there. The defendant told them there was more in the car and investigators found about 4 more ounces of the drug in a grocery bag in the back seat.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for being able to proactively seize the large amount of methamphetamine before it could be sold on the streets.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.