Second meth lab bust defendant given 48 month prison sentence

The second of the two defendants involved in a meth lab drug bust was sentenced in Crawford County Common Pleas Court Tuesday afternoon.

By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

The second of the two defendants involved in a meth lab drug bust was sentenced in Crawford County Common Pleas Court Tuesday afternoon.

Twenty-seven-year-old Meagan Rastetter of Plymouth pleaded guilty to the illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacturing of drugs and drug possession, third- and fifth-degree felonies. A second-degree felony of the illegal manufacturing of drugs was dismissed as part of the agreement.

Rastetter received a 36-month prison sentence for the third-degree felony and 12 months in prison for drug possession. The sentences will be served consecutively for a total of 48 months in prison. Her driver’s license was suspended for six months and she was fined $5,000.

“Obliviously, this is a very serious chase,” Judge Sean Leuthold said. The judge added that he believed that Rastetter’s boyfriend, Nickolas Arrendondo – “who basically cooks meth for a living” – or one of his relatives was the mastermind behind the meth lab.

“Has he done anything good for your life?” Leuthold asked Rastetter.

“Nothing,” Rastetter replied as she explained that the two had a child together nearly six years ago and got back together about eight months before the bust.

“For goodness sakes, don’t fall back into this rat hole,” Leuthold said. “You knew what he was when you got mixed up with him.”

Leuthold had very little faith 21-year-old Joshua Albright of Bucyrus would succeed for very long on community control after reviewing the man’s pre-sentence investigation.

Albright was sentenced to five years on community control through the county’s high-risk probation program. He must also serve 90 days in the county jail, pay a $1,250 fine, and had his driver’s license suspended for six months.

At the beginning of the hearing, Leuthold said Albright’s pre-sentence investigation was “disturbing to say the least.” He added that Albright’s juvenile record was the worst he had ever seen and believed the man was well on his way to having a terrible adult record, too.

“I don’t know if you’re ever going to learn your lesson or not,” Leuthold said. “Right now, I don’t trust you. I don’t think you want help. All I’ve seen here is crime after crime.

“I’ll be blunt with you – I don’t think you’ll make it 90 days.”

Thirty-four-year-old Shara Skaggs of Galion and 31-year-old Joshua Malone of Bucyrus are both expected to be on community control after pre-sentence investigations are completed for their cases.

Skaggs pleaded guilty to felony 5 drug possession while Malone pleaded to felony 4 aggravated assault. The recommended sentences for both include five years on community control, though Skaggs will have to serve 90 days in the jail. They must both enter into a drug and alcohol treatment program and pay fines.

Sixty-three-year-old Sandra Clair of Crestline entered a guilty plea for insurance fraud, a fifth-degree felony, but that plea will be held until she completes the prosecutor’s two-year diversion program.