Area women sentenced for meth

Three Aiken County women who were among seven charged in connection with a methamphetamine manufacturing operation in multiple Aiken County locations were sentenced in federal court in Columbia Wednesday.

Kristie J. Boyd, 36, of North Augusta, Brenda S. Hair, 52, of Aiken and Ashley R. Hair, 26, of Jackson, pleaded guilty in July and August to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Boyd was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Brenda S. Hair was sentenced to 27 months followed by three years of supervised release. Ashley R. Hair was sentenced to 63 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

The three women, along with Phillip P. Fitzpatrick, 28, of Jackson, Shawn C. Lowman, 39, of Beech Island, Brandy L. Gregory, 29, of Warrenville, and Danny L. Young, 52, of Aiken, were federally indicted in February on allegations that they purchased large quantities of pseudoephedrine from pharmacies throughout Aiken County and Augusta and manufactured meth between December 2006 and February 2011.

Authorities were able to determine that the group was working together to purchase and cook the meth through pharmacy log books and interviews, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney William Witherspoon.

The U.S. Attorney's Office alleged that the women were primarily responsible for purchasing the pseudoephedrine and other supplies, while the men were primarily involved with the cooking, and that they sometimes produced 10 to 15 grams of meth during a given cooking session.

Ashley R. Hair, Fitzpatrick, and Gregory were among four people who were arrested in a meth bust in Jackson in December 2007.

The federal indictment, dated Feb. 2, 2011, addresses all of the defendants' activities during the five-year time frame.

Fitzpatrick and Lowman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth and were each sentenced to 87 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in December.

Gregory and Young pleaded guilty in October, and both are awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

U.S. District court judge Margaret B. Seymour handled the sentencing.