Burke County Man Sentenced For Trafficking Meth

A Morganton man with a prior federal drug trafficking conviction has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine in Burke and Catawba counties. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced that 38-year-old Rodney Justin Crisp was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Crisp pleaded guilty in January to distributing methamphetamine.

According to court documents, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation in June 2024 after receiving information that Crisp was selling methamphetamine and fentanyl in Burke and Catawba counties. Investigators used a confidential source to conduct multiple controlled purchases after arranging transactions with Crisp at various locations in both counties.

When deputies arrested Crisp on a federal warrant on October 13, 2025, they searched the vehicle he was riding in and found drug packaging materials, drug paraphernalia, and a bag containing methamphetamine.

Crisp remains in federal custody and will be transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. The case was investigated by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY