Guilty plea in drug case from February sends Arkoma woman to prison with a 20-year sentence

Courtney Marie Gothard, A 28-year-old resident of Arkoma, was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections with an additional 20 years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to charges in Sebastian County.

Gothard, appearing with her attorney David Powell, entered a guilty plea to delivery of meth, cocaine or heroin stemming from a February 4 arrest on multipe drug charges that triggered a felong petitioon to revoke. She spent 35 days in jail before being released on March 29 on a total of $39,000 in legally sufficient bonds.

 The court sentenced her to a total of 40 years, with 20 years to be served in prison and 20 years of suspended imposition of sentence . She received credit for jail time served, and her driver’s license was suspended for six months with a permit.

Additionally, a DNA requirement fee was waived.

As part of the plea agreement, the petition to revoke was withdrawn.

Gothard had a previous arrest in 2024 in Fort Smioth for possession of a controlled dangerous substance nd paraphernalia. She also had a 2022 conviction after a guilty plea in Crawford County for fraudulent use of a credit card.

Gothard awaits transfer to the Arkansas Deportment of Corrections.