BENTON – A federal jury returned a two-count guilty verdict for an Edwardsville man charged with distributing meth in Franklin and Perry counties according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois.
Officials announced Wednesday that 59-year-old Kevin D. Stewart was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute meth and one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of meth.
Co-defendant, 43-year-old Elizabeth J. Schwartzkopf of Pinckneyville, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to distribute meth and one count of possession with intent to distribute meth and was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment on Wednesday.
According to court documents and evidence at trial, Illinois State Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Schwartzkopf with Stewart in the passenger seat in March 2024. Officers recovered 312 grams of methamphetamine, 924 grams of homemade THC gummies, and a scale from the vehicle.
Stewart’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 16 at the federal courthouse in Benton. Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of meth carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
