PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed), A Neshoba County man will spend nine years in federal prison after he admitted to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it in the Pearl River community.
A federal judge sentenced Jerithan Willis, 43, to 108 months in prison on Sept. 23. The court also ordered five years of supervised release after he leaves prison and fined him $1,500.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff announced the sentence in a Sept. 24 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Case Began With 2025 Indictment
According to court documents, Willis possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute in the Pearl River community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Reservation.
A federal grand jury indicted Willis in August 2025 for his role in distributing the drug. He later pleaded guilty to the charge on March 3, 2026.
Task Force Led the Investigation
The FBI’s Safe Trails Task Force investigated the case. The task force includes officers from the FBI, the Choctaw Police Department, the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department and several state and local law enforcement agencies.
Kruger praised the work of the Safe Trails Task Force, the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department and the Choctaw Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalleigh McCoy.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Mississippi
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdms/pr/neshoba-county-man-sentenced-possession-intent-distribute-methamphetamine
