Joshua Lynn Whitmire, 38, of Catawba, was given an active prison sentence of six to eight years following his conviction for trafficking methamphetamine by possession and transportation.
The sentence was imposed by Superior Court Judge Kaen Eady Williams of Mecklenburg County after Whitmire entered a guilty plea during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
He also will be required to pay a mandatory fine of $50,000.
Whitmire will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections at the end of the sentence he currently is serving. That sentence ends in April 2028.
On February 2, 2023, a traffic stop was conducted to address illegally tinted windows on a vehicle driven by the defendant.
Whitmire admitted to having a burned marijuana cigarette in the vehicle during the stop, but a subsequent search resulted in the seizure of a trafficking amount of methamphetamine along with some drug paraphernalia and marijuana.
The investigation was conducted by Tyler Burgess of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Kyle Smith prosecuted the case for the State with assistance from Legal Assistant Amy Bishoff.