Mankins sentenced to 7 years on meth charge

James Earl Mankins Jr., 56, Kilgore, was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis after he pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, admitting that he possessed half an ounce of meth on Oct. 30.

He allegedly acquired the drugs from a source in Tyler and sold it to others.

Mankins initially was charged along with Sonja Kay Kiker, 41, Kilgore; Edgar Carl Boon Jr., 56, Kilgore; Cathy Dean Massie, 44, Longview; and Luis Antonio Rodriguez, 28, in a one-count indictment alleging they conspired to distribute 500 grams or more of meth from June 2007 through Oct. 29, 2008, in Gregg County.