Baxley resident Christopher Eric Stone will spend 68 months (5.66 years) in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. This announcement came from an Aug. 1 news release from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Stone, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood. According to the DEA news release, when he completes his prison term, he will also have three years of post-prison supervision and will not be eligible for parole because there is no parole in the federal system.
“Christopher Stone has a substantial history of arrests and convictions in Appling County, dating back more than two decades. Significant time behind bars will provide the community with a measure of relief from his serial criminality,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Court documents and testimony reveal that Stone was found in possession of methamphetamine during a traffic stop by deputies from the Appling County Sheriff’s Office. According to the DEA news release, when he was out on bond on state charges, law enforcement found Stone in possession of methamphetamine during another traffic violation stop. The DEA further stated that Stone’s criminal history includes drug trafficking and domestic violence, mostly occurring in the Baxley, Ga., area.
“As Sheriff of Appling County, I am very thankful to our federal partners at the DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The sanctions we see through this partnership make a statement that we are not going to tolerate drug dealers and if they choose to do so here, there will be severe repercussions,” said Appling County Sheriff Mark Melton.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was founded in 1973 to ensure proper implementation of U.S. laws regarding controlled substances and to bring entities involved in production, distribution or trafficking of such substances to either criminal or civil justice, according to its website. The current DEA Administrator is Anne Milgram, serving since 2021.
