Two men, including a former Edmonson County magistrate, face federal charges for trafficking meth

Darren Doyle, story:
A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned an indictment on May 15, 2024, charging two men with trafficking methamphetamine, one of whom is a former Edmonson County magistrate.

United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Erek Davodwich, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police and Sheriff Brandon Ford of the Allen County Sheriff's Office. made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on March 22, 2024, John E. Marks, 61, of Scottsville, Kentucky, and Samuel Corey VanMeter, 34, of Brownsville, Kentucky, were possessed with intent to distribute 50 grams or no more meth in Allen County. , Kentucky.

Marks made his first appearance before a United States Justice of the Peace in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on May 20, 2024. VanMeter made his first appearance before a United States Justice of the Peace in the United States District Court United for the Western District of Kentucky. on May 21, 2024.

VanMeter served as an Edmonson County magistrate in District 2 from 2019 to 2022.

Both defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.

The DEA Bowling Green Resident Agency and the Allen County Sheriff's Office are investigating the case with assistance from the Kentucky State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Bowling Green is prosecuting this case.

An indictment is only a formal accusation and does not constitute an admission of guilt. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.