Van Buren Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Fort Smith – A Van Buren man was sentenced today to 130 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute. The Honorable P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.

According to court documents, in September 2022, a patrol officer with Van Buren Police Department attempted to perform a traffic stop on Philip Ray Jones, age 44. Jones failed to pull over and a high-speed chase ensued. Ultimately Jones abandoned his vehicle in a residential area and tried to flee on foot. During the foot pursuit Jones dropped a bag on the ground. A search of Jones and the bag yielded methamphetamine, cash, a digital scale and other illegal controlled substances.

U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Van Buren Police Department and Crawford County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carly Marshall and Tyler Williams prosecuted the case.

Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.