A Dickinson County couple who conspired to distribute meth were sentenced on March 31, 2022. Meghan Renken, 29, from Spirit Lake, pled guilty on September 14, 2021, and Jared Wolthuis, 32, from Milford, Iowa, pled guilty on July 7, 2021, to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
At their respective plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that Renken and Wolthuis were involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than three pounds of pure methamphetamine between July 2018 and March 2020 in the Dickinson County, Iowa area. On March 17, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a co-conspirator’s rural residence and seized 20 pounds of methamphetamine from an outbuilding of the residence. During the course of the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement stopped Renken and Wolthuis driving away from the residence. Upon a search of the vehicle, law enforcement seized 3 pounds of pure meth that Renken and Wolthuis admitted they planned to distribute to other persons. Both also distributed ounce quantities of methamphetamine.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Renken was sentenced to 31 months’ imprisonment. Wolthuis was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment. Each must also serve a three year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Renken remains in custody of the United States Marshal Service until she can be transported to a federal prison. Wolthuis was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office, as well as the Iowa State Patrol.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4050. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.