Meth Dealer Sentenced to Serve Fifteen Years

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Felony Drug Unit obtained a fifteen-year sentence against a methamphetamine dealer. David Paul Beets, 42, was convicted of Possession with Intent to Sell Methamphetamine over .5 Grams in a Drug Free School Zone. Judge Scott Green ordered Beets to serve fifteen years in prison without the possibility of parole.

At trial, Assistant District Attorney Hector Sanchez and Acting Assistant District Attorney Deven Wilson explained to the jury that on July 4, 2017, Knoxville Police Department Officer Kevin Varner responded to a suspicious person at the Pilot on Western Avenue. In Beets’ vehicle, officers found methamphetamine, marijuana, and a safe containing $1,061. A further investigation conducted by KPD Organized Crime Unit Inv. Brandon Stryker revealed that Beets had been selling methamphetamine from his house at 3305 McKamey Road. That residence was subsequently closed as a public nuisance.

“Methamphetamine use is on the rise in our community, being a contributing factor in seventy overdose cases last year,” said DA Charme Allen.”Only fentanyl and fentanyl analogues accounted for more overdose deaths than methamphetamine in 2017.”

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.