Madison, Wis. - John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Wade McLees, 34, Richfield, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb to 46 months in prison for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine. McLees pleaded guilty to this charge on December 14, 2011.

On April 26, 2010, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the residence of Travis and Amber Johnson in La Crosse where the police recovered a jar containing liquid methamphetamine in addition to materials, chemicals and equipment to manufacture methamphetamine. McLees's co-defendant, Cody DeLao, was arrested by the police after he arrived at the residence with five boxes of pseudoephedrine in his pockets.

In May 2011, Travis Johnson and Amber Johnson were sentenced to 90 months and 50 months, respectively, for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine. On July 27, 2011, McLees and DeLao were indicted by the grand jury in a four-count indictment for their role in the case. On January 31, 2012, DeLao was sentenced to five years in prison for his role.

The charges against McLees were the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse County Sheriff's Department, La Crosse Police Department, Vernon County Sheriff's Department, and Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Connell.

 

Return to Top