ST. GEORGE — A Panguitch woman accused of dealing methamphetamine out of her home has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Roxanna Fae Simkins, 69, was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge David Nuffer.
The hearing was conducted via videoconference, with the judge based in St. George, the defendant at Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane and the attorneys and other participants at various other locations.
“I do regret the action that brought me here,” Simkins said as she briefly addressed the court during the hearing. “Other than that, I am happy in my life, and I am anxious to return home to prove myself. I do miss my family.”
The sentencing came just over one year after Simkins’ arrest on Dec. 28, 2020.
As previously reported in St. George News, officers with the Iron-Beaver-Garfield Narcotic Task Force arrested the great-grandmother following an undercover operation that culminated with a raid at her residence. During the search, investigators reportedly found 526 grams (1.16 pounds) of a white crystalline substance that was determined to be meth.
Simkins, also known as Roxanna Abner-Simkins, initially faced more than two dozen counts, but all of the state charges against her were dropped when federal prosecutors took over the case.
In a formal plea agreement filed in September, Simkins pleaded guilty to a single federal count of felony possession of meth with intent to distribute. Six other charges were subsequently dismissed.
Although Nuffer imposed a sentence of 36 months, he gave Simkins credit for the year she’s already spent in jail, leaving her with just under 24 months remaining. She is to serve the rest of her sentence at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security prison camp for women located in Bryan, Texas.
That location, the court noted, will allow Simkins’ family members in Texas better access for visitation.
Following her release from confinement, Simkins will be on supervised probation for five additional years, the judge ordered.
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