Career Offender Sentenced to 20 Years for Drug Offense
Rome, Ga. – Barry Shedd has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine less than two months after his release from state custody.
“The amount of prison time Shedd received correctly reflects the continuous criminal activities he engaged in, to include the distribution of the insidious drug methamphetamine,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “This sentencing removes yet another dangerous criminal from our streets and sends a clear message to others who may choose to indulge in this lifestyle. DEA and its law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will relentlessly pursue and ultimately prosecute criminals like Shedd.”
“This defendant had already served sentences for distributing dangerous drugs when he chose to return to criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Shedd took his freedom for granted, and now he will serve 20 years in federal prison, where there is no parole.”
“On the date Shedd was arrested he was cooperative and if not for the vehicle accident would surely still be what I consider a menace to society. It is apparent that the incarceration period and release just prior to this arrest did not have the desired effect of guiding Shedd toward rehabilitation,” said Major Carl Lively, Floyd County Police Department. “Shedd is well known to many officers in our department due to his past drug involvement history. During the past years when he has not been incarcerated he has mostly been a resident in our county. The damages that he has caused to his family and our community through his decisions over the years will never be known.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On August 17, 2017, Shedd crashed his vehicle in a single car accident in Floyd County, Georgia. He was observed entering the woods at the site of the crash and then returning to his vehicle.
Because of his known drug history, a K-9 unit searched the wooded area near the crash. Law enforcement officers located a bag containing a quarter kilogram of methamphetamine, 110 pills, digital scales, hypodermic needles, and Shedd’s prison ID card. Officers also seized $3,253 in cash. Shedd had only just been released from prison 58 days earlier for a prior drug offense. Because of his repeated convictions for trafficking in methamphetamine, the Court designated Shedd a career offender.
Barry Shedd, 46, of Rome, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy to 20 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release on July 12, 2018. Shedd was convicted on these charges on January 10, 2018, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Floyd County Police Department, Polk County Police Department, and Rome/Floyd Metro Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Prout prosecuted the case.
DEA encourages parents and their children to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov. Follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv
