Rebecca Stampe
A woman charged in Rhea County's largest meth bust was not allowed to get out of her agreement to serve 14 years in federal prison.
Rebecca Stampe had agreed to plea guilty and to accept the 14-year term, then she found that charges were dropped against her co-defendant, Michael Lynn Loden.
Judge Sandy Mattice on Monday said Ms.
Stampe had entered into a "contract" with the government and could not go back on the deal.
Jackson Whetsel, representing Ms. Stampe, noted that Loden had been charged with similar counts. However, they were dismissed with little explanation from the government.
A government filing says the dismissal came because "during trial preparation, the government discovered circumstances apart from evidence of the defendant's guilty which prevent the U.S. from moving forward."
Prosecutor Jay Woods would not elaborate further in court.
Judge Mattice earlier said he was not willing to ask the government to submit more information on the dismissal that he could view privately and then determine if the dismissal was valid.
He said, "That might not be a big deal in this case, but in the future it would set a precedent that would be a very big deal." He said such decisions were in the purvey of the executive, not the judicial, though he said some judges across the country disagree.
Ms. Stampe earlier pleaded guilty to distributing over 500 grams of meth. The government said Ms. Stampe provided meth to Loden and others.
The Rhea County Sheriff's Office began an investigation after getting a tip that Ms. Stampe was dealing in drugs.
On Nov. 15, 2017, Rhea County Sheriff Mike Neal was among those taking part in a raid at her residence at Spring City.
Detectives found a pound of meth in 20 separate baggies, digital scales and $2,559 cash. They also found several guns, including a loaded revolver in Ms. Stampe's bedroom. A search of her purse turned up another $4,868 in cash.