Sioux City, IA (KICD)– A California man with ten past previous drug convictions is going to federal prison for the most recent set of offenses.

67-year-old James Sterner pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine last summer after evidence presented in court showed he was part of a scheme to distribute the drug in and around Sioux City from August through October of 2019.

Sterner had been released on pre-trial supervision in 2020 but failed to appear for a change of plea hearing after submitting forged documents that falsely claimed he had cancer.

His whereabouts were then unknown for about a year before he was arrested in California last April.

After pleading guilty to conspiracy charges, Sterner was accused of distributing methamphetamine-lace paper in the O’Brien County Jail while awaiting sentencing.

He was given 30 years behind bars this week followed by five years of supervised release.