MANITOWOC – A 39-year-old Manitowoc man was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in state prison after a jury found him guilty in a methamphetamine case that began when police found nearly 40 grams of the drug during a traffic stop.
Thao P. Xiong was arrested March 10, 2025, after Manitowoc police stopped a vehicle for illegal window tint and loud music and found methamphetamine hidden behind a loose panel under the radio, according to a criminal complaint.
Manitowoc traffic stop led to methamphetamine charges
Officers stopped the vehicle for illegal window tint and loud music, according to the criminal complaint.
During the traffic stop, K-9 Riley sniffed around the vehicle and alerted to the presence of drugs, prompting officers to search the vehicle.
During the search, one officer noticed a loose panel under the radio, pulled on it and uncovered an opening where two cloth bags had been hidden. In those bags, officers found multiple bags of methamphetamine and a digital scale.
Officers found nearly 40 grams of methamphetamine, which is above “normal user amounts,” according to the arrest record.
Manitowoc jury found Xiong guilty after two-day trial
Xiong was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, two felony counts of bail jumping, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor bail jumping.
After a two-day trial in Manitowoc County Circuit Court in April, a jury found him guilty of all charges.
Judge sentenced Manitowoc man to prison and supervision
Xiong was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in state prison on the charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, followed by three-and-a-half years of extended supervision.
On the other four charges, Xiong was sentenced to a combined two-and-a-half years in Manitowoc County Jail, but those sentences were considered satisfied by the time he had already served while waiting for his case to conclude.
Xiong was represented by attorney Laura Ann Walker. His case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Marconi de Franca Barros and presided over by Judge Mark Rohrer.
Contact Alisa M. Schafer at aschafer@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Jury convicts Manitowoc man in meth, bail jumping case
Reporting by Alisa M. Schafer, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter / Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
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By Alisa M. Schafer, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter | USA TODAY Network
