A federal jury has returned a two-count guilty verdict for an Edwardsville man charged with distributing meth in Franklin and Perry counties.
The U.S. attorney reports 59-year-old Kevin Stewart has been convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute meth and one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of meth.
Co-defendant, 43-year-old Elizabeth Schwartzkopf of Pinckneyville, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to distribute meth and one count of possession with intent to distribute meth and was sentenced to four years in prison.
According to court documents and evidence at trial, Illinois State Police officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Schwartzkopf with Stewart in the passenger seat in March 2024. Officers recovered 312 grams of methamphetamine, 924 grams of homemade THC gummies, and a scale from the vehicle.
Stewart’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 16 at the federal courthouse in Benton. Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of meth carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
