A federal grand jury in Anchorage has indicted two Sitkans on drug trafficking charges.
Luke Roderick Lowe, age 36, and Marguarite Jean Keicher, age 38, were indicted on April 21 for allegedly conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in Ketchikan in January of this year.
The indictment further alleges that Lowe and Keicher carried several firearms while involved in the drug trafficking. The United States is seeking forfeiture of nine firearms and $1,524 in cash.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, who presented the case to the grand jury, the maximum sentence the pair faces for the drug conspiracy charge is life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and a fine of $250,000. The actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal histories of the defendants. Lowe and Keicher were arraigned in Juneau and Ketchikan, respectively. Both defendants are currently detained pending trial.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Ketchikan Police Department all participated in the investigation.
Meanwhile, another Sitka man will serve a year in prison for felony assault. 26-year old Joshua Craig Lawson was sentenced last week (5-6-15) by Superior Court Judge David George to 18 months in prison, with 6 suspended, for his involvement in a fight in front of the Pioneer Bar in June of last year. According to court records, the victim was already on the ground as the result of an altercation with another individual, when Lawson approached and repeatedly kicked him.
The victim suffered a broken ankle, and was unable to work for a month.
In addition to serving a year in prison, Lawson will also have to pay restitution: $1,800 to the victim, and $2,470 to Sitka Community Hospital.
This was Lawson’s first felony conviction. The court recommended that he serve his sentence in a halfway house. Pending that arrangement, Lawson is ordered to report to the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau in October of this year.
