Chester County, SC woman charged after police seize meth sold in presence of kids

Andrew Dys

A Chester County woman has been charged with drug trafficking and child neglect after meth was seized from a residence where her two children were present, police said.

Ashley Marie McKenzie, 29, is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, distribution of meth, two counts of distribution of meth where minors are present, and two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, according to Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey.

Drug agents with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office arrested McKenzie after a search of her home in Great Falls Thursday, deputies said. Deputies seized 48 grams of meth during the search, said Grant Suskin, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

Great Falls is in southern Chester County between Rock Hill and Columbia.

McKenzie’s children were taken into emergency protective custody by deputies who notified the S.C. Department of Social Services, Suskin said.

McKenzie remains in the Chester County jail after she was denied bond in a first court appearance Friday, court records show.

Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The charges against McKenzie are felonies, according to South Carolina law. She could face as much as 70 years in prison if convicted of all charges, state law shows.

Trafficking meth between 28 grams and 100 grams has a mandatory minimum of seven years up to 25 years, state law shows. The felony distribution charge carries up to 15 years in prison.

The felony child neglect charges carry up to 10 years each, and the charges for meth offense while children present carry up to five years each.

A man who was at the home during the time of McKenzie’s arrest also was charged with possession of meth, the Sheriff’s Office said.

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