Los Angeles, California - A Central Coast woman was sentenced to 17 and one half years in federal prison for possessing a quantity of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, authorities with the Central Coast Safe Streets Task Force announced Monday.

Chelsea McIntyre, 31, of Cambria, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison on Monday, February 7th, by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner.

McIntyre was originally arrested by the Arroyo Grande Police Department (AGPD) on January 30, 2019, for possession of a controlled substance. Following a joint investigation by the FBI and the AGPD, McIntyre was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2019 with knowingly and intentionally possessing with intent to distribute approximately 88.3 grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

McIntyre pleaded guilty to the charge in the indictment in February 2020 but became a fugitive prior to being sentenced. In early 2021, McIntyre removed her court-administered ankle monitor and failed to appear for her sentencing hearing. She remained a fugitive for nearly eight months before being arrested on August 24, 2021, in Bakersfield by the FBI and the Bakersfield Police Department.

The case against McIntyre was investigated by the FBI’s Central Coast Safe Streets Task Force and the Arroyo Grande Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California prosecuted this case.