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North Bloomfield man sentenced for meth lab

WARREN — A North Bloomfield man was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after being convicted of operating a methamphetamine lab in Hartford.

James Shaver III, 33, 8829 state Route 45, pleaded guilty to charges of illegal manufacture of drugs and illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs. Common Pleas Judge W. Wyatt McKay immediately pronounced sentence after the defense waived the chance for a background investigation.

Shaver also pleaded guilty in a separate case on a felony escape charge, in which McKay gave him a six-month prison term that will run concurrently with the three-year term.

The defendant, being represented by public defenders Matthew Pentz and Brendan Keating, declined the chance to speak before the judge pronounced sentence.

In the first case, assistant Prosecutor Gina Buccino Arnaut said Shaver was accused of operating a meth lab in a camper in the rear of a home in the 7900 block of Thompson Sharpsville Road in Hartford. Trumbull-Ashtabula drug task force officers and Hartford police investigated on Oct. 7, 2016, after neighbors complained of a foul odor in the area, Arnaut said.

In the escape case, assistant Prosecutor Diane Barber said Shaver was accused of failing to report to his parole officer on March 25, 2016. Court records show Shaver was paroled from prison after serving three years for a 2012 drug trafficking and illegal manufacturing of drugs conviction in Ashtabula County.

Reports said Shaver lived in Conneaut at the time, and police there said he operated a meth lab within a short distance of two schools.

gvogrin@tribtoday.com

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