Jan. 23—NASHVILLE — A Homerville man was sentenced to prison in federal court Jan. 17 for trying to distribute methamphetamine in Lanier County, the justice department said.

Dennis Thompson, 34, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice said. He was convicted by a federal jury on July 18 of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Thompson is not eligible for parole.

Thompson was under surveillance for distributing meth by Lanier County Sheriff’s Office investigators in August 2020. A confidential informant told investigators that Thompson would be carrying a large amount of illegal drugs into Lanier County on Aug. 30, 2020. Deputies attempted to pull Thompson over, but he fled, leading deputies on a high-speed chase in excess of 100 miles per hour for several miles, the statement said.

The pursuit continued into Atkinson County, where the vehicle finally came to a stop. A drug dog alerted to the odor of drugs inside Thompson’s car. Officers found 976 grams of methamphetamine inside a bag in the car, according to the justice department.

The case was investigated by FBI and the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office.

Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.