Russellville Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking

A Russellville, Missouri man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison without parole for distributing more than a kilogram of methamphetamine.

William Austin Lee Crabtree, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole on August 24, 2021, after pleading guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

The investigation into Crabtree’s activities began on October 17, 2017, when a Moniteau County sheriff’s deputy spotted him in the driver’s seat of a Cadillac parked behind an apartment complex in Tipton, Missouri. The deputy noticed another man walking away from the vehicle and, as he spoke to him, Crabtree got out of the Cadillac and began walking away. The deputy ordered Crabtree to stop, but he continued walking until the deputy produced his taser.

A police dog alerted to the driver’s side door of the Cadillac, and the deputy searched the vehicle. Inside, he found a white bag containing two baggies with a total of 298.4 grams of methamphetamine. The discovery led to further investigation and, ultimately, Crabtree’s guilty plea.

According to court documents, while Crabtree was incarcerated in the Moniteau County jail, he made several telephone calls to his girlfriend, discussing amounts of money owed to him by his various drug customers. Based on these conversations, Crabtree was held accountable for more than one kilogram of methamphetamine.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Moniteau County Sheriff’s Department, and the Jefferson City Police Department.

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