Kenneth Johnston, Jr., 46, of Lamar, Nebraska, has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. The sentencing took place on January 8, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis handed down a sentence of 151 months’ imprisonment for Johnston’s role in distributing at least 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Following his release from prison, Johnston will serve five years under supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods stated: “Kenneth Johnston, Jr., 46, of Lamar, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 8, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for Distribution of at Least 50 Grams of Actual Methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Johnston to 151 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Johnston’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.”
Johnston’s arrest followed an investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol and CODE Drug Task Force. Investigators determined that Johnston sold a half pound of methamphetamine to a cooperating individual at a gas station in Big Springs, Nebraska on two occasions during July 2023. Laboratory analysis by the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed that the substance sold was methamphetamine with a purity level of 100%. At the time these sales occurred, Johnston was out on bond related to a state charge for simple possession of methamphetamine.
The case involved cooperation among several law enforcement agencies through the CODE Task Force operating across west-central and southwest Nebraska’s 22 counties. Agencies participating include local police departments such as North Platte and Lexington Police Departments; county sheriffs like Dawson County Sheriff’s Office; Ogallala Police Department; as well as state and federal agencies including the Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations.
