Fairbury Woman Gets Prison Time for Felony Drug Charge
A Fairbury woman was given 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to a felony drug charge.
Cynthia Rice, age 47, of Fairbury, appeared in Jefferson County District Court on Thursday, August 7, 2025. She was charged with possession of methamphetamine, a class 4 felony punishable by up to two years in prison, nine to 12 months of post-release supervision, and a $10,000 fine. The was also charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction, which was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
A search warrant executed at a Fairbury residence on August 22, 2024, led to multiple arrests on drug charges.
Deputies reported locating items consistent with drug paraphernalia, as well as items with a white crystalline substance during an initial assessment of the living room. The affidavit indicates that, in the basement, deputies located glass pipes and baggies with a white crystalline substance that also field tested positive for methamphetamine.
Rice’s attorney, Gregory Kratz, requested probation for his client. However, Judge Bargen said he did not believe Rice was “a fit candidate for probation.”
Rice was sentenced to 18 months incarceration, with credit for seven days time served. She was then remanded to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office to carry out the sentence.
