A Sparta, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court on Tuesday for drug trafficking, counterfeiting, and failing to register as a sex offender.
William W. Chamlee, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. The court ordered the federal sentence to be served consecutively to any sentence Chamlee receives in separate state cases in Arkansas.
On July 1, 2019, Chamlee pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, counterfeiting, and failing to register as a sex offender.
Chamlee, who had arrest warrants and was being sought by Arkansas authorities, was located inside a camper at his residence in Sparta and arrested on Nov. 4, 2016. Law enforcement officers searched the camper and found a Jennings .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, approximately 17 grams of pure methamphetamine, numerous counterfeit bills of various denominations totaling $2,190, and the computer and printer used by Chamlee to create the counterfeit money.
Chamlee admitted that he bought an ounce of methamphetamine each week from a source he met on Craigslist and had been doing so for two months. Chamlee said he purchased at least eight to 10 ounces of methamphetamine from his source and he was paying $700 to $800 per ounce.
Chamlee was convicted in Arkansas of video voyeurism against a 10-year-old victim, and therefore required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his lifetime. Chamlee admitted he knew that he was required to register as a sex offender when he moved to Missouri but didn’t register because of the Arkansas arrest warrants.
