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February 5, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Elkins Resident Sentenced to 10+ Years
on Meth-related Charge

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA — A 29 year old Elkins, West Virginia, resident was sentenced on January 29, 2009, in United States District Court in Elkins by Judge Robert E. Maxwell.

United States Attorney Sharon L. Potter announced that MATTHEW UPTON was sentenced to 121 months imprisonment to be followed by three years supervised release. UPTON entered a plea of guilty on December 18, 2005, to an Information charging him with possession of Pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine on March 18, 2005, in Elkins.

UPTON, who is in federal custody, failed to appear at his initial sentencing and was apprehended by the U. S. Marshals Service after being a fugitive for two years. UPTON’s sentence was adjusted upward for failing to accept responsibility and for obstructing justice.

In addition to the sentence imposed, UPTON was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,417.47 to the Drug Enforcement Administration for costs to clean up the meth lab.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen D. Warner. The case was investigated by the Elkins Police Department, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.