ROCKINGHAM — A woman already facing more than 50 felony charges is now accused of selling meth.

According to an arrest warrant, 22-year-old Jennifer Paige Outlaw, of Ashworth Lane, Rockingham, sold 0.3 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant between July 21 and 23.

Richmond County sheriff’s deputies also say Outlaw used a blue Nissan Sentra to keep and sell the drug.

Outlaw was arrested July 23 and charged with one felony count each of: possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine; selling or delivering a Schedule II controlled substance; and maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance.

She was booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $50,000 secured bond and is due in court Aug. 20.

Online court records show Outlaw is currently facing more than 50 charges of obtaining property by false pretenses, two counts of identity theft and one count each of financial card theft and safecracking — all of which are felonies.

According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction, Outlaw was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen goods in February 2014.

At least 33 other individuals in Richmond County have been arrested on charges related to the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine so far this year — some more than once.

There were 10 arrests in January alone — eight within the last week of the month.

Earlier this month, 15 defendants from the county pleaded guilty to federal meth charges, five of who were arrested during a March drug sweep by the sheriff’s office, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives following a six-month investigation targeting meth cooks.

According to Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Kelly Page with the SBI, 35 individuals have been federally indicted in the past several years since the sheriff’s office and the SBI initiated a federal investigation with the office of Ripley Rand, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

The SBI has responded to 20 meth labs in the county so far this year — the second-highest number in the state, behind Johnston County, which was the second-highest last year with 46 labs.

Statistics from 2014 show that Richmond tied with Stanly County for the seventh-highest number of labs: 17. Gaston County led the state with 83 and Onslow County was third with 25.

Page said 86 percent of the 557 labs the agency responded to last year were one-pot cooks, commonly referred to as “shake-and-bake” labs.

Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.

Michelle Yee | Tribune News Service
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_US_NEWS_METH_4_CO.jpgMichelle Yee | Tribune News Service

By William R. Toler

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