(Sioux City)—A Mallard man has pleaded guilty in U-S District Court to conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine.
41-year-old Kenneth Putensen was convicted of one count of having been previously convicted of two felony drug offenses and then conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine; to distribute and possess pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture meth; and to possess pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine.
At a plea hearing, Putensen admitted that from late 2005 through July 2007 he and others manufactured and distributed more than 150 grams of meth in Palo Alto and Clay counties.
According to court documents, Putensen also purchased large amounts of pseudoephedrine in Minnesota and Iowa.
Putensen was convicted on January 22nd, 1990 in Minnehaha county, South Dakota of felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and on July 7th, 1997 in the Federal Court for the Northern District of Iowa of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana.
Sentencing for Putensen was set for June 23rd at 3:00 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Sioux City. He remains in the custody of a U-S Marshall.
Putensen faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment due to the two prior felony convictions, an eight million dollar fine, and up to 10 years supervised release should he ever be released from prison.
