A Superior man is facing six years in prison for drugs charges.
On Wednesday U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Joseph L. Harwell, 40, of Superior, Nebraska to 76 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.
Following his sentence, Harwell will be on a 5-year supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On April 4, 2021, a Beatrice police officer deployed a drug sniffing dog around Harwell’s parked vehicle after observing Harwell walking away from the car.
The dog indicated to controlled substances in the vehicle.
Harwell was located and detained. A vehicle search revealed a backpack behind the driver’s seat with suspected methamphetamine, a digital scale with suspected drug residue, and several zip-lock bags.
The suspected methamphetamine was sent to a lab, and later confirmed to be at least 140 grams of actual methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and Beatrice Police Department.
