A man from Arnold, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and heroin. Kevin Watson, 36, received a sentence of 156 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy on February 4, 2026.
Court records show that the incident occurred on April 26, 2019, when Watson was stopped by Pennsylvania State Police for traffic violations while a young child was present in the back seat of his vehicle. When officers asked him to exit the car, Watson sped away and led police on a high-speed chase that reached speeds up to 115 miles per hour. The pursuit ended when he crashed and fled on foot, leaving the child alone in the vehicle. Authorities reported that the child was not seriously injured.
After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, state police discovered more than $100,000 worth of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin in the trunk. Watson’s criminal record includes three prior drug trafficking convictions, and he was on parole at the time of this offense.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly M. Locher and Barbara K. Doolittle prosecuted the case.
United States Attorney Troy Rivetti recognized both the Pennsylvania State Police and Drug Enforcement Administration for their work investigating and prosecuting Watson’s case.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” said Rivetti. “On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
