Marble Hill man found guilty of meth possession

A Ste. Genevieve County jury found Arlen B. Brown, 49, of Marble Hill, Mo., guilty Wednesday of possession of methamphetamine. The case was moved from Cape Girardeau County on a change of venue.

His sentencing was set for Aug. 12. He received probation in August 2001 on a Perry County conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

As a prior offender, he faces up to 20 years in prison, said assistant prosecuting attorney Teresa Bright-Pearson.

"The jury came back with the verdict at about 8:30 p.m. with a conviction for the lesser offense of possession of meth not attempted manufacturing of the drug."

Brown was arrested July 13, 2002, after a van he was riding in was stopped by trooper Douglas McDaniel of the Missouri State Highway Patrol because it did not have lights on an attached trailer.

McDaniel saw Brown toss a large package thrown out the front passenger window. It turned out to be a full and complete meth lab.

In January, a Cape Girardeau County jury recommended a 10-year sentence for the driver of the van, Paul P. Hitt, 51, of Oak Ridge, for attempting to manufacture methamphetamine.

His sentencing is set for today at the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girar-deau.