A Milwaukee County courts official has been charged in connection with felony drug trafficking after law enforcement said they found fentanyl and cocaine at her home.
Samotria Matthews of Milwaukee was charged with maintaining a drug trafficking place with a modifier as a party to a crime, according to online court records posted Aug. 15. If convicted, she would face a sentence of up to 3.5 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Matthews is a senior administrator for the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court, an office overseen by an elected official, Anna Maria Hodges. Matthews has been suspended, Hodges told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug. 14.
Matthews’ LinkedIn page lists her job as a deputy division administrator under Hodges, who was elected as circuit court clerk in 2022.
The office manages the court’s administrative, recordkeeping, and clerical functions.
Matthews, 54, has been a deputy administrator since 2016, according to LinkedIn. However, the circuit court clerk’s website lists someone else in that job.
In 2023, her compensation was roughly $92,000, according to county records.
Matthews’ case is cross-referenced with two other felony drug offense cases, according to online court records. Both involve family members.
Rodney Romel Matthews, 54, who shares a Milwaukee address with Samotria Matthews, faces several charges.
They include possession with intent for both cocaine and fentanyl, maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of a weapon as a convicted felon, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer, harboring a felon, and bail jumping.
Terrion DeSean Matthews, 26, of Milwaukee, faces charges that include possession with intent for both cocaine and fentanyl, maintaining a drug trafficking place, reckless endangerment, and fleeing an officer.
Milwaukee police searched Samotria Matthews’ home after her spouse was arrested following an Aug. 11 police chase, according to a search warrant.
Officers later found 1,280 grams of fentanyl, a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine weighing about 431.6 grams, 167.2 grams of cocaine, a gun, and drug processing equipment at the property, the warrant said.
Samotria Matthews has never previously been arrested in Wisconsin or convicted of a crime in the state, according to state Department of Justice records. She was arrested Aug. 13.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County circuit court official faces felony drug house charge
Reporting by Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
