Regina Vess Nelson, 52 of Conover, will serve six to eight years in prison following her conviction for trafficking methamphetamine during Catawba County Superior Court on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
The Honorable Nathaniel J. Poovey, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed terms of the active sentence after Nelson entered a guilty plea. She also was assessed a mandatory fine of $50,000.
The defendant will serve her period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
On August 21, 2025, deputies from the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle driven by Nelson for speeding.
A K-9 unit alerted to the presence of drugs around the vehicle, and a search was conducted that led to the recovery of a baggie of drugs in the engine compartment along with other items of paraphernalia inside the vehicle.
Nelson and the male occupant in her vehicle were arrested and taken into custody.
Nelson told investigators that the co-defendant contacted her about taking him to Charlotte and back to pick up drugs, and said he would pay her.
The State Crime lab confirmed the drugs to be a trafficking amount of methamphetamine.
The co-defendant’s case is still pending. He is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Deputy Ethan Fox handled the investigation for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Taylor Rockett prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Britnee Ulsamer.