Cambria woman sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison for drug possession

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. -- A Cambria woman who was a fugitive for almost eight months was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Los Angeles Field Office.

Chelsea McIntyre, 31, was sentenced on Feb. 7 by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner.

McIntyre was originally arrested by the Arroyo Grande Police Department in January 2019 for possession of a controlled substance, according to the FBI.

After a joint investigation by the Arroyo Grande police and the FBI, McIntyre was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2019 with knowingly and intentionally possessing with intent to distribute 88.3 grams of methamphetamine – a Schedule II controlled substance, the FBI said.

She pleased guilty to the charge in February 2020, but became a fugitive before being sentenced, according to the FBI.

McIntyre removed her court-ordered ankle monitor in early 2021 and did not show up to her sentencing.

She remained at large for nearly eight months before being arrested in Bakersfield in August 2021.