Margaret A. Sturgis, d/o/b 12-02-1959, of Branson, was sentenced to twelve (12) years in prison Thursday, June 5, 2014, upon entering a plea of guilty to the class B felony of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute or deliver. Taney County Associate Circuit Court Judge Jim Justus accepted the guilty plea from Sturgis, while filling-in for the late Taney County Circuit Court Judge Mark Orr.

Sturgis was investigated for possible drug distribution in May and June of 2013, by Branson Police, following citizen complaints about suspicious activity at her apartment complex on Bird Road, in Branson. Eventually, a search warrant was executed, oxycodone pills were seized, and Sturgis was arrested – at which time she confessed to officers that she had been selling oxycodone pills.

Judge Justus sentenced Sturgis pursuant to a plea agreement between the defendant and the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office. The range of punishment for the class B felony of possession of controlled substance with intent to distribute is from five (5) years to fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.