06/24/13 Roy Atkins, 36 years of age, of Plymouth, was sentenced Wednesday in Marshall Superior Court 1 to ten years imprisonment for manufacturing methamphetamine, a Class B felony. In open court, Atkins admitted he manufactured methamphetamine on February 28, 2013 in a motor vehicle he and his wife were driving around Plymouth.
Judge Robert O. Bowen approved an agreement reached between Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman and defense attorney Tom Black, which provided for a sentence at the Indiana Department of Corrections of 10 years of imprisonment. No part of the sentence was suspended. In exchange for the plea of guilty to manufacturing methamphetamine, the State agreed to dismiss a count of possession of meth, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended drivers license.
The case began very simply when Plymouth Police Officer John Weir observed a 1999 Chevy Tahoe with no license plate traveling east on Jefferson Street near Brother’s Stop & Go at the intersection of Oak Drive. Officer Weir turned around to investigate further and the vehicle did a strange maneuver by going into the Stop & Go parking lot, exit onto Oak Drive, and then do a U-turn back into the parking lot.
Officer Weir approached the vehicle to inquire about the missing license plate as the driver exited the vehicle. Officer Weir was immediately struck by a strong chemical odor he knew through training and experience to be associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine. A quick look into the car revealed in plain view a one pot active meth lab and other items commonly associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Officers assisting at the scene included Sheriff Tom Chamberlin, Plymouth Police Officer Steve DeLee, Jesse Pippenger, and County Police Officer Jonathon Bryant. Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Team members Brandon McBrier and Keith Bikowski arrived and cleaned the area of the dangerous components.
“John Weir was in the right place at the right time and is credited with putting yet another cook out of business for several years, We certainly expect Mr. Atkins will not return to the manufacturing trade,” Chipman noted.
