By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Co-Editor
MADISON – A Tomahawk woman was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for her involvement in a long-term methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in northern Wisconsin.
According to a Dec. 4 release from the office of U.S. Attorney Scott C. Blader of the Western District of Wisconsin, U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson sentenced Becky L. Peterson, 64, of Tomahawk, to 66 months in federal prison for conspiring with Mark W. Moore to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in Ashland County over the past several years. Peterson pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on June 11, 2019.
Moore pleaded guilty to the same charge on Nov. 28, 2018, and was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison on March 13, 2019.
According to the release, drug investigators with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation learned that Peterson and Moore were selling methamphetamine from a location known as the “Meth Farm” near Butternut, Wis., in the Town of Peeksville. Between Aug. 2017 and June 2018, an undercover officer conducted seven controlled buys of methamphetamine from Moore and one from Peterson. The sales to the officer, which occurred either in the residence or in a nearby workshop on the 80-acre property, totaled more than 60 grams of methamphetamine.
“During the course of these buys, Moore stated that Peterson set the prices and weighed and packaged the methamphetamine for sale,” the release said. “Moore also stated on several occasions that he needed to confirm with Peterson whether he could give a discount for large quantity sales.”
Police executed a search warrant at the farm on June 26, 2018, and recovered approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine and $11,412, with an additional $2,000 later recovered from a separate location. Peterson and Moore each admitted to their involvement in a multi-year ongoing business of distributing methamphetamine, the release said.
“In sentencing Peterson, Judge Peterson stated that this was long-term dealing in methamphetamine, which is an epidemic in that part of the state,” the release said. “Judge Peterson told Peterson that while her age and health were mitigating considerations, they were not a free pass to commit crime, and he wasn’t fully confident that she might not reoffend given that she had a past drug trafficking conviction.”
In addition to the prison sentences received by Peterson and Moore, the court ordered the forfeiture of the farm property and the $13,412 in cash that had been recovered.
The investigation was conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.