AWARD WINNING ANTI-DRUG ESSAYIST GETS 10 YEARS FOR METH

Susan M. Gardner's youthful optimism was no match for the insidious
grip of methamphetamine.

A decade after writing an award-winning essay about avoiding drugs
and alcohol, the 24-year-old Independence woman was sentenced
Wednesday to 10 years and one month in federal prison for
distribution of the drug.

Her attorney and the judge who sentenced her agreed that life for
Gardner was "out of control" last fall when she sold methamphetamine
to undercover detectives four times and led police on a chase before
she was arrested with another package of the drug stuffed in her pants.

Defense attorney Robert Kuchar said it was a "sad situation" to know
the kind of person Gardner could have been, the kind of person she is
today, drug-free, compared with the way she was when arrested.

"We're dealing with a decent young lady who made some bad decisions
in her life," Kuchar said.

As an eighth-grader, Gardner was honored by the Missouri Peace
Officers Association for her essay about avoiding drugs and alcohol.
Her work won out over 400 other entries, according to news accounts.

On Wednesday, she declined a chance to speak on her own behalf before
she was sentenced.

U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner noted the letters of support she
received from family and friends and said she had the capacity to
live a productive life.

But, he said, there was a price she had to pay for her actions.

"You were significantly involved with the distribution of drugs in
this community," Fenner said. "That's something that has to be taken
seriously and cannot be tolerated."

As part of the sentence, Fenner said he would recommend that Gardner
be sent to a prison where she can enroll in a 500-hour substance-abuse program.