Mt. Pleasant man sentenced for methamphetamine sales

On Dec. 30, U.S. District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced Robert Dean Stagers, 32, of Mt. Pleasant, to 140 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

U.S. Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced the sentence, adding that Stagers was ordered to serve five years of supervised release to follow his prison term and to pay $200 to the Crime Victims' Fund.

The investigation began in March 2018 when law enforcement discovered Stagers had become a supplier of methamphetamine in Southeast Iowa. According to Krickbaum, Stagers knowingly distributed methamphetamine to his purchasers who then distributed to others. In 2019, a search warrant was executed on Stagers' residence in Mt. Pleasant. Officers found a safe that contained 132.01 grams of methamphetamine and seven loaded guns. A vehicle associated with Stagers was searched, and officers found four more firearms. Stagers admitted he knowingly carried and used these firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

This matter was investigated by the Henry County Sheriff's Office, Mt. Pleasant Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.