12/16/13 James Corbett II, 37, of Plymouth, was sentenced on Thursday (December 12, 2013) in Marshall Superior Court No. 1 to 10 years imprisonment for manufacturing methamphetamine and three years imprisonment on a separate count of neglect of a dependent. In open court, Corbett admitted that on April 10, 2013, he manufactured methamphetamine at his residence at 308 West Washington Street in Plymouth. He also admitted that he exposed a six year old child in his care to his methamphetamine manufacturing operation.
Judge Robert O. Bowen approved an agreement reached between Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman and defense attorney Joseph Simanski, which provided for a sentence at the Indiana Department of Corrections of 10 years of imprisonment on the charge of manufacturing methamphetamine. The agreement also provided for three years of imprisonment on the child neglect charge, which is the maximum sentence allowed under the law as a Class D felony. Both sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.
The case began when Jonathon Bryant, an officer with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and armed with a felony arrest warrant, together with other officers from the Sheriff’s Department and the Plymouth Police Department, went to a Washington St. address in Plymouth in search of James Corbett II. Upon approaching the front door, several individuals exited the residence and walked away at a quick pace. Officer Bryant asked if James Corbett was inside and it was stated he was upstairs. Bryant entered the premises and immediately went upstairs and was confronted with a large pit bull dog. The dog was restrained, and Corbett was arrested.
Corbett and his wife were advised of their constitutional rights and they then gave their consent to Officer Bryant to search the residence. The search revealed virtually every component necessary to construct a methamphetamine laboratory. In addition, seven “one pot” meth labs were located, one of which was still very active. Also located were six hydrochloric acid (HCL) generators which are used to force the precipitation of suspended methamphetamine in an organic solvent into usable methamphetamine powder. The child was originally placed under the protection of Child Protective Services.
Interviews conducted by Officer Bryant and others after the arrests revealed that methamphetamine was manufactured at the Washington St. address on an almost daily basis, and that the sale of meth to individuals was occurring four to five times a day from that location. That is no longer the case.
