A Waukegan woman facing decades in prison pleaded guilty Friday to possessing methamphetamine and was sentenced by a judge to four years in prison.

Cara A. Carpenter, 26, was accused of possessing with the intent to deliver 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine, possession of less than 15 grams of heroin, driving in Woodstock while her license was revoked and resisting a police officer, according to the criminal indictment.

The most serious offense – possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine – was a Class X felony. If she’d been convicted, she would have faced six to 30 years in prison.

Instead, she pleaded guilty as part of a negotiated plea to possession of 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine, a Class 1 felony, which can carry sentences of four to 15 years in prison but are also probational.

Carpenter must serve at least 50% of the four-year sentence and will receive credit for the 197 days she has spent in jail since her May arrest, the sentencing order signed by McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge shows. She must also pay just under $2,300 in fees and fines.

On May 16, 2022, Carpenter was discovered to be in possession of about 57.1 grams of methamphetamine, according to a news release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.

When members of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office narcotics task force attempted to arrest her, she fled in a vehicle, ramming the vehicle into a squad car, according to the indictment.