Versailles, IN— A Batesville-area man pled guilty and will receive a maximum sentence for manufacturing methamphetamine in a homemade lab. On November 12, 2019, Jason Schuler pled guilty to manufacturing methamphetamine during August of 2018. Schuler’s charges stem from a joint investigation between the Ripley County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Section.
Court documents reveal that Schuler became the target of an investigation after police received a tip that Schuler was possibly handling hazardous chemicals in a residence just outside Batesville city limits. The Indiana State Police determined that Schuler had made multiple purchases of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in methamphetamine production.
Schuler pled guilty days before his jury trial after accepting a plea agreement to the maximum sentence offered by the Ripley County Prosecutor’s Office. That agreement required Schuler to serve the 12-year maximum sentence, a combination of 5 years in prison and 7 years on felony probation in which Schuler must undergo drug treatment and make full restitution to the other residents for damages resulting from his drug lab. Prosecutor Ric Hertel was grateful for the diligent investigation, noting the collaboration between his office and two other law enforcement agencies. “The manufacture of methamphetamine poisons our community,” Hertel said, “and in this case, we were able to hold this offender accountable to the fullest extent of the law and prevent any injuries.” “There are fewer meth labs currently than in past years but they still exist and pose a significant danger to those involved in the manufacture and others in the immediate area.”
