Jury Convicts Hensley Mother and Daughter of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl That Caused Death, Face Minimum 20 Years in Prison

LITTLE ROCK-A drug-filled evening that ended with four overdoses, including one death, at a Saline County home has now resulted in a mother and daughter spending decades in federal prison. On Wednesday, a federal jury convicted the two women of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl that caused a death. The jury also convicted the mother, April Adams, of distribution of methamphetamine, and the daughter, Amber Church, of distribution of fentanyl. Following a three-day trial and after just over four hours of deliberation, the jury convicted both Church and Adams on all charges.

On April 2, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Adams, 62, and Church, 38, both of Hensley. Both women were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death. Church was also charged with distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, and Adams was also charged with distribution of methamphetamine.

The jury returned the verdict to United States District Court Judge James M. Moody, Jr., who will sentence Adams and Church at a later date. Adams and Church will remain in federal custody while they await sentencing. They both face a statutory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison on the fentanyl charges related to the death. Adams also faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years on the methamphetamine charge.

The evidence presented at trial showed that on April 16, 2023, law enforcement officers from the Saline County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a residence on Crab Apple Circle in reference to multiple overdoses. Once law enforcement officers arrived, they located four individuals who overdosed. After medical personnel administered Narcan, three individuals survived, but one individual died at the scene.

During the trial, two witnesses who survived overdoses testified that after arriving at the residence on Crab Apple Circle, Adams offered them methamphetamine, along with Church and the victim who died. After smoking the methamphetamine, Church asked Adams if she could provide to the group what Church said was the "cocaine" that Adams had in her room. Church then got the substance from Adams' room and provided it to the group, using some herself. The substance was in fact fentanyl.

Nearly immediately after ingesting the fentanyl the four individuals who used the drug began passing out, including Church. Adams, who did not use the substance that caused the other four individuals to overdose, waited approximately 45 minutes before notifying anyone about the overdoses, and then called a friend rather than emergency services.

The drug offenses carry additional penalties of up to a $1,000,000.00 fine and at least three years of supervised release.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The investigation was conducted by the Saline County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Edward Walker and Jordan Crews prosecuted the case.

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Additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

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