All 8 sentenced to prison time

 

The last three people arrested in connection with a Hanging Rock meth lab were sentenced to prison this week.

A trial was set to begin Thursday for the man whose home was the site of the lab, but before a jury was seated, the man pleaded guilty.

Michael Chatfield Jr., 30, of 150 Daniel Drive, Hanging Rock, pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted illegal manufacturing of drugs (amended from a second-degree count of illegal manufacturing of drugs), third-degree illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacturing of drugs and fifth-degree possession of criminal tools.

Judge Charles Cooper sentenced Chatfield to three years in prison for the first count and one year for the second count, to be served consecutively, for a total of four years. Cooper also sentenced the man to one year for the third count, but to be run concurrently with the other charges. Chatfield must also pay a $5,000 fine and his driver’s license will be suspended for three years.

Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court, two more co-defendants pleaded guilty to their drug charges.

Aaron Dillow, 34, of 204 Hereford Hollow, Greenup, Ky., and Amber Hay, 20, of 52 Apache Way, Greenup, pleaded guilty to second-degree complicity to the manufacturing of drugs and fifth-degree possessing criminal tools.

Cooper sentenced Dillow to four years in prison and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine and have his license suspended for three years, while Hay was sentenced to three years in prison.

Other defendants in the case previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced. They were David Richie, 19, of 506 Chinns Branch Road, Wurtland, Ky.; James Hay, 19, of 52 Apache Way, Greenup; Katie Horsley, 31, of 164 Township Road 283 N, Ironton; Milissa York, 27, of 3692 State Route 503, Wurtland; and Earl Horsley II, 33, of 36 Mound Road, Greenup.

In August, the Hanging Rock Police Department found the active meth lab on Daniels Drive.

According to the authorities, some of the defendants tried to flush the chemicals down the drain, which then melted the toilet.