Marathon County Woman Sentenced to 66 Months for Methamphetamine Distribution

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Sarah Waggoner, 41, Birnamwood, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 66 months in federal prison for distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. This prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Waggoner pleaded guilty to this charge on July 21, 2022.

In April 2021, law enforcement used a confidential informant to purchase methamphetamine from Waggoner. Law enforcement officers subsequently arranged for two additional controlled buys of methamphetamine from her, including one purchase of over 50 grams of methamphetamine. In September 2021, officers executed a search warrant at her residence, where they located over 1,000 grams of methamphetamine hidden throughout the property. Waggoner admitted in a statement to police to buying and selling multiple pounds of methamphetamine.

Waggoner is currently serving a term of imprisonment for Wisconsin convictions involving distribution of methamphetamine. The sentence in the federal case will be served concurrently with the remainder of the defendant’s state sentence. 

In sentencing Waggoner, Judge Conley credited the defendant for assisting law enforcement in the search of her property. Judge Conley stated that a sentence slightly above the mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years was warranted, however, due to the “stunning” amount of methamphetamine the defendant admitted to distributing.

The charge against Waggoner was a result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation; Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force; Wausau Police Department; and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus.