Two Orrville men get prison time for large scale meth lab
WOOSTER -- Two Orrville men were sentenced to prison for their involvement with a large scale methamphetamine lab at 861 McGill St., Orrville.
Scott A. Van Driest, 45, a resident at the house, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison by Wayne County Common Pleas Judge Corey Spitler. He was sentenced for one count of assembly or possession of chemicals used to manufacture a controlled substance in one case and one count of burglary and sexual imposition from a separate case.
Van Driest was sentenced to 24 months in prison on the burglary charge and 60 days in jail for the sexual imposition charge, to be served concurrently. For the charge of assembly or possession of chemicals used to manufacture a controlled substance, Van Dreist was sentenced Wednesday to 35 months in prison, to be served consecutive to the first case.
Robert S. Canode, 41, of 905 Terminal St., was sentenced Thursday by Spitler to 35 months in prison on one count of assembly or possession of chemicals used to manufacture a controlled substance.
Charges related to the meth lab stem from a Jan. 23 incident in which the lab was raided by five area law enforcement agencies. The two men, along with Larry D. McCumbers, 40, who also is a resident of the house, were arrested following the raid.
Senior Medway Agent Don Hall said previously that authorities arrived at the residence at 9 p.m. and presented a "knock and announce" warrant. After the house was searched, no one else was found and no firearms were discovered.
Hall said at the time of the raid, meth was being cooked and manufactured in the house. He described the operation as "using the one-pot 'shake and bake' method." During the clean-up operation, which lasted six hours, Medway agents removed a variety of toxic and inflammable chemicals, including hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate, sodium hydroxide, Coleman-brand fuel and a variety of paraphernalia related to cooking meth.
Hall said previously the lab was undoubtedly a "significant contributor" of methamphetamine to local markets and dealers, and it would be considered a "large-scale operation." He noted the lab could have three to four bottles of meth cooking at any one time and could measure its output in terms of ounces rather than grams, as is the case with most labs. The house had been under surveillance by Medway for a few month.
Before the execution of the search warrant, a "strong chemical odor" was emanating from the house, Hall said.
Van Driest's burglary and sexual imposition charges stem from a separate incident that occurred May 27, 2011. Spitler ruled Van Driest must register as a tier 1 sex offender, meaning he will have the designation for a period of 15 years and must give in-person verification annually.
Spitler noted Van Driest has mostly avoided trouble up until the last two years, and he cited drugs to be a contributing factor for his behavior. Though the charges are Van Driest's first felonies, Spitler said his involvement with the meth lab, as well as the fact a person was present during the burglary are the reasons for his prison sentence.
During Canode's hearing, Spitler expressed concern over "the proliferation of meth labs in this county."
"It's not a pleasant thing what these drugs do to people," he said.
Spitler said he would entertain the possibility of judicial release for Canode, provided he obtains his GED and drug and alcohol counseling. As part of his sentence, Canode will undergo a six-month license suspension.
Reporter Amanda Rolik can be reached at 330-287-1635 or arolik@the-daily-record.com.