Stephenson Eugene Clark, 31, of Conover, was sentenced to serve six to eight years in prison following his conviction for trafficking methamphetamine by possession on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, in Catawba County Superior Court.
The Honorable Penn Broyhill, Superior Court Judge from Forsyth County, imposed terms of the mandatory active sentence after Clark entered the guilty plea.
Clark will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. He also will be required to pay a mandatory fine of $50,000.
On February 13, 2024, officers from Hickory Police Department attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle without its lights burning, but the driver did not comply, leading officers on a chase that ended when law enforcement deployed stop sticks to apprehend the defendant.
During the chase, two bags were thrown from the vehicle and later located by officers. Digital scales and a trafficking amount of methamphetamine were found in the bags. A large amount of cash also was seized from the vehicle.
The case was investigated by Officer Dylan Cassidy of Hickory Police Department and Deputy Samuel Helms of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Melanie Earles prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Jordan Arney.