QUINCY, Ill. – Matthew Steinkamp, 42, of Quincy, Illinois, received a 15-year prison sentence on Thursday, March 6, 2026, for delivering methamphetamine, the maximum term negotiated in a plea agreement, according to the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Steinkamp was arrested during a traffic stop conducted by the Illinois State Police and the West Central Illinois Task Force, authorities said. He pleaded guilty to meth delivery, a Class X felony, in exchange for the dismissal of another Class X felony charge of methamphetamine trafficking. Judge Holly Henze imposed the sentence, citing the clarity of state law regarding the maximum penalty under the plea deal.
Adams County State’s Attorney Todd Eyler had requested the 15-year sentence, while Steinkamp’s public defender, Betsy Bier, argued for a 12-year term. Had Steinkamp proceeded to trial and been convicted, he faced a potential sentence of up to 50 years in prison.
This marks the second case in Adams County in which a defendant found with a pound of methamphetamine has received the maximum sentence under a plea agreement. Eyler stated that he intends to seek similar sentences in future cases involving comparable quantities of the drug. “If the judges enter sentences where they give us a baseline, you can bet that’s where I’m going to start,” Eyler said, adding, “The next person that brings a pound of meth into this community, that’s where it’s going to start.”
Eyler has publicly stated that Quincy is experiencing a significant influx of methamphetamine. “The streets of Quincy are flooded with meth. This is one way to try to stop it,” he said.
The court granted Steinkamp credit for time already served in custody, including over 500 days spent under GPS monitoring at his home. Bier informed the court that Steinkamp had actively participated in the recovery community despite suffering from debilitating Multiple Sclerosis.
In October 2024, Eyler filed a motion for the substitution of a judge in Steinkamp’s case after Steinkamp was initially granted pretrial release. The motion followed a court order allowing Steinkamp to participate in a 30-day inpatient treatment program at Clarity Healthcare before returning to the Adams County Jail.
