A Fresno man is accused of dumping more than three pounds of methamphetamine in a federal prison recreation yard in broad daylight, a case that could put him behind bars for up to 20 years.
Garrett Scott Wheelen, 33, was charged Thursday in the Eastern District of California with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The charges follow an incident on May 1 at a medium-security prison in Mendota, about 35 miles west of Fresno.
According to a criminal complaint, Wheelen arrived at the jail wearing a green baseball cap, a face mask and a black hoodie. Her appearance caught the attention of staff and she ignored an officer's orders to stop moving, according to the complaint.
Wheelen ran from the northwest corner of the parking lot toward the facility's recreation yard, prosecutors allege, and threw four white packages over the fence into the yard.
Officers pursued Wheelen as he fled the facility and caught him after he became trapped in a muddy area. Bureau of Prisons staff identified Wheelen as a former FCI Mendota inmate.
The packages, which were recovered by prison officials, contained three pounds and three ounces of methamphetamine and a pound and a half of tobacco, authorities said.
Mendota inmates who were near the packages were ordered to immediately leave the yard and were searched, prosecutors said, and no contraband was recovered.
Federal court records show Wheelen pleaded guilty in 2021 to possession of stolen mail and mail fraud. She received a two-year sentence and was on supervised release at the time of her recent arrest.
Court records show Wheelen denied the latest charges against him at a May 21 hearing. Her attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
