Staunton Star - Times - Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years

Macoupin County State's Attorney Jordan J. Garrison announced on April 24, 2024 the sentencing of a local man.

Austin M. Frayer, (25), of Gillespie, was sentenced by the Honorable Joshua A. Meyer to 12.5 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for the offense of unlawful possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine, a Class X felony.

Frayer was stopped near mile marker 43 on Interstate-55 in Macoupin County. Sgt. Justin Frankford conducted a free air dog sniff of the vehicle where the K9 indicated the presence of drugs in the vehicle. A search of the car found nearly a quarter pound of methamphetamine and other drugs. Before handing down the sentence, Judge Meyer pointed to the defendants continuous and escalating criminality stating "everyone in this room agrees illegal drugs are destroying individuals, families, and pockets of our communities. We have to deter other people from getting involved."

"The efforts by law enforcement to interrupt the flow of methamphetamine into our county continues to produce results with another decade plus sentence," said Garrison. "We will continue to work hard in protecting our communities from the plague of methamphetamine. I want to specifically thank Sgt. Frankford and K9 Hoyt for their actions in this matter."

Over the last two years, defendants in Macoupin County have been sentenced to in excess of 1,100 years in prison across 217 cases including over 100 years to methamphetamine deliverers.