CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jason Travis Shook, 42, of Conover, N.C., was sentenced Tuesday to 210
months in prison and five years of supervised release on drug and gun charges, announced Dena
J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, and Sheriff
Donald G. Brown II of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making
today’s announcement.
According to court documents and proceedings, in August 2022, officers with the Catawba
County Sheriff’s Office learned that Shook was distributing large amounts of methamphetamine
in the area. As part of the investigation into Shook, law enforcement began surveilling Shook’s
property in Conover and his black Chevrolet Suburban vehicle. On August 25, 2022, officers
observed Shook walking back and forth from his property to the Suburban, which had a white
boat attached to it. Shook was seen carrying a backpack that he placed in the back seat of the
Suburban before he drove away from the property. Law enforcement attempted to conduct a
traffic stop of Shook’s vehicle for multiple traffic violations, including driving with a revoked
license. Shook did not obey and instead he led law enforcement on a vehicle pursuit which ended
with Shook crashing the Suburban and boat into a wooded area at the end of a road in Hickory.
Shook then ran on foot and jumped into Lake Hickory. A short time later Shook was taken into
custody.
According to filed court documents, law enforcement retrieved the backpack from the Suburban,
which contained a clear plastic bag with a large amount of methamphetamine, $24,707 in cash, a
clear plastic bag with approximately 7 grams of methamphetamine and over one gram of loose
methamphetamine, digital scales, other drug paraphernalia, as well as two unspent 12-gauge shot
gun shells. Law enforcement also searched Shook’s flight path and located a Ruger, model
SR40C, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol along the side of the road. The firearm contained one
round of ammunition in the chamber and an additional round in the magazine. The seized
methamphetamine was analyzed at the DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory and determined to be
368.99 grams of pure methamphetamine.
On August 8, 2024, Shook pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute
methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a felon. Shook has a prior criminal history that
includes felony convictions for Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury and
Second-Degree Kidnapping, and he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Shook will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau
of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the DEA and the Catawba County
Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nick Miller, Brandon Boykin, and Regina Pack with the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.