James Hulon Steadman, Methamphetamine Manufacturing, Tennessee 2013

Bristol, Tennessee, Couple Sentenced in Connection with Meth Lab Explosion

A devastating methamphetamine lab explosion in Bristol, Tennessee, resulted in a couple being sentenced to 77 months in prison. James Hulon Steadman, 41, and Amanda Beth Kiser Steadman, 32, were found guilty of conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine and creating a substantial risk of harm to human life.

On November 26, 2013, the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, sentenced James Hulon Steadman and Amanda Beth Kiser Steadman to serve 77 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. The Steadmans were also ordered to pay $98,911.13 in restitution for clean-up costs and damage to an apartment building resulting from multiple explosions and a fire caused by a methamphetamine laboratory.

The investigation revealed that James Hulon Steadman and Amanda Beth Kiser Steadman, along with Jason Anthony Carter, were indicted in November 2012 for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine, possessing equipment, chemicals, materials, and products to be used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, and creating a substantial risk of harm to human life. Carter was convicted on October 31, 2013, following a two-day jury trial, and is scheduled for sentencing on March 3, 2014.

According to the evidence presented at Carter’s trial, the Steadmans and Carter planned to manufacture methamphetamine at an apartment building where the Steadmans resided in Bristol, Tennessee, in August 2012. They purchased the supplies needed to manufacture methamphetamine at various businesses in Bristol before returning to the apartment to begin cooking methamphetamine using the ‘one-pot’ or ‘shake and bake’ method.

Manufacturing methamphetamine is an inherently dangerous process and can result in explosions, fires, and serious injuries, as evidenced by this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes cases involving the manufacture of methamphetamine very seriously and will continue to aggressively prosecute these offenses. Public safety is the highest priority.

The investigation was a joint effort of the Bristol Tennessee Police Department, Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, 2nd Judicial District Drug Task Force, and Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Kerney-Quillen represents the United States.

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