CLEARFIELD: Melissa Renea Woodling, 36, of Curwensville, has been ordered to serve a lengthy state prison sentence for repeatedly selling methamphetamine and possessing multiple illegal drugs in Clearfield County. President Judge Paul E. Cherry imposed an aggregate sentence of six to 13 years in state prison, followed by one year of consecutive re-entry probation, after rejecting an earlier plea arrangement as too lenient.

According to court records, investigators began looking into Woodling’s suspected role in local drug distribution in June 2024, which ultimately led to a search warrant at her Curwensville residence on March 17^th. When troopers entered the home, they reported seeing methamphetamine spread out on a table in plain view, along with packaging materials and a plastic bag containing additional suspected methamphetamine already divided for sale. Loose methamphetamine was also found in a small silver pan and in plastic containers on the kitchen table.

Officers stated that Woodling’s purse contained a small container of methamphetamine, more than $600 in cash and an “owe sheet” listing names and dollar amounts believed to be related to drug transactions. Investigators also seized a scale, several cell phones, bulk packaging supplies, unknown white pills, additional owe sheets and containers of marijuana located throughout the residence.

Woodling’s legal troubles escalated while she was still out on bail from the initial search-warrant case. In June, she sold methamphetamine twice to a confidential informant working with authorities. On June 25^th, members of the Attorney General’s Drug Task Force learned from the informant that he or she could purchase meth from Woodling at her Curwensville home. The informant went to the residence and allegedly bought 15.1 grams of methamphetamine for $250 while agents maintained surveillance outside.

Later that same day, the informant again contacted Woodling about buying more methamphetamine. Woodling reportedly told the informant that she had sold the remaining supply and would need to travel to West Decatur to restock. After obtaining more drugs, she arranged to meet the informant in Clearfield Borough near the intersection of East Locust and North Third streets. Once there, Woodling drove to the location, the informant got into her vehicle and allegedly purchased 28.4 grams of methamphetamine for $600.

Her conduct continued to draw law enforcement attention. On Sept. 10, during a traffic stop, officers became suspicious of Woodling and the driver of the vehicle and requested a K-9 officer. After the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics, the vehicle was seized and taken to the Clearfield Regional Police Department. A subsequent search warrant for the vehicle led to the discovery of 112.5 grams of methamphetamine, 8.2 grams of cocaine, buprenorphine and naloxone film valued at approximately $160, 2.4 grams of fentanyl, a glass container holding about 35 grams of fentanyl, and various items of drug paraphernalia in Woodling’s black bag.

In total, Woodling pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and related charges in four separate cases. In a fifth case, she entered pleas to misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and summary offenses. The initial plea agreement in three of the cases called for a 36‑month sentence, but Judge Cherry declared that term “not acceptable” and outside the applicable sentencing guidelines, noting that one of the cases alone could have justified a three-year sentence. After consulting with her attorney, Paul Clavecchi, Woodling agreed to the higher sentencing range.

Woodling was not the only person charged in connection with the Curwensville residence. In October, her co‑defendant, 44‑year‑old Jason Lee Guthrie, was sentenced by Judge Cherry to time served—223 days—to one year in the county jail for felony possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine. Guthrie also received three years of probation, to be served concurrently with his jail term.

The multiple investigations, controlled buys, and searches outlined in the affidavits of probable cause portray Woodling as a significant local source of methamphetamine and other narcotics. Authorities say the volume of drugs recovered, the presence of packaging materials and owe sheets, and repeated sales to a confidential informant all supported the conclusion that she was engaged in ongoing distribution rather than simple possession for personal use. Her new six- to 13-year state prison sentence reflects both the quantity of illegal substances involved and the fact that she continued to offend while already facing charges.