EKB News

A Knott County man will spend more than 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charges in U.S. District Court in Pikeville. 36 year old James Arthur Pratt of Eagle’s Nest, Emmalena, pled guilty Tuesday to felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, distribution of Hydrocodone, and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction. Today U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove sentenced Pratt to 63 months on the firearm possession charge and 60 months on the drug distribution charge, with these terms to run consecutively for a total of 123 months. Upon release Pratt will have to serve five years supervised probation. The joint investigation which lead to the guilty plea began in January of ’06 after Pratt sold hydrocodone tablets to undercover detectives twice in the same day. The Knott County Sheriff’s Office also had been investigating Pratt at the time.