Baxter County Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Federal Prison
Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 9:00 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
HOT SPRINGS, AR.- On Monday, September 30, 2024, Michael Steven Benedict, 45, of Baxter County, Arkansas, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Susan O. Hickey to 240 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for Distribution of Methamphetamine; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
According To Documents Filed With The Court
According to documents filed with the court, beginning in January 2021 through May 2021, Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hot Springs Police Department’s Special Investigations Division conducted multiple controlled buys of methamphetamine from Benedict.
On April 21, 2021, Agents conducted a controlled buy of methamphetamine, four stolen firearms, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from Benedict. The methamphetamine was submitted to the Drug Enforcement Administration Southeast Laboratory, and the weight was determined to be 361.03 grams and confirmed to be actual methamphetamine.
At the culmination of the investigation, Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of Detectives of the Hot Springs Police Department, arrested Benedict and formally charged him with the offenses he was later convicted of, leading to Benedict’s federal prison.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hot Springs Police Department for the arrest and successful prosecution of Benedict.
