On June 13, 2013, NICHOLAS A. THOMAS, d/o/b 01-02-1979, of Ozark, entered a plea of guilty to manufacturing a controlled substance, specifically methamphetamine. Circuit Judge Mark Orr sentenced Thomas to ten (10) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. This sentence was the result of a plea agreement between the defendant and the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office.

Thomas was arrested for this offense on September 24, 2010. On that date, officers from the Combined Ozarks Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement Team (COMET) and the U.S. Marshals Service were investigating a report of drug manufacturing in Hollister. Thomas’s residence was searched during their investigation. Inside the residence, officers found numerous items of drug paraphernalia and chemicals, including anhydrous ammonia, muriatic acid, Coleman camp fuel, acetone, hot plates, coffee filters, and plastic bottles. Two of these bottles contained partially finished methamphetamine.

Manufacturing a controlled substance is a class B felony, which carries a sentence of five (5) to fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Thomas had a charge in another jurisdiction that may have contributed to the delay in his guilty plea.