Man sentenced to 120 days in jail for meth production

A man who admitted to producing methamphetamine in a Cape Girardeau self-storage facility was sentenced Tuesday to 120 days in prison.

Associate Circuit Judge Scott Thomsen handed down the sentence to Charles R. Clark, 51, of 2702 Quince St. In January, Clark pleaded guilty to felony manufacturing a controlled substance.

Following the 120 days imprisonment, Thomsen will decide whether to release Clark on probation or have him finish a seven-year prison term.

Around 2 a.m. on Aug. 14, a police officer on patrol near Cape Mini Storage, 1915 Golden Eagle Court, saw a white van drive from a storage unit, according to a probable cause statement.

Upon investigation near that storage unit, the officer smelled ether and saw a light-colored cloud of chemical smoke coming from inside.

Clark, who was at the scene, gave the officer consent to search three storage units.

Inside, the officer found a bag of meth, a 25-pound cylinder and a 50-pound cylinder, which tested positive for anhydrous ammonia, and other chemicals used for making the drug, the statement read. Two of the storage units had a hole cut in the wall between them.

The defendant admitted to going back and forth between the units to operate the methamphetamine lab, according to the statement.