Shawneetown Man Sentenced On Methamphetamine And Ammunition Offenses

On October 17, 2013, Michael A. Lovell, 35, of Shawneetown, Ill., was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton on a three-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine-making materials, and being a felon in possession of ammunition, announced Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.

Lovell was sentenced to a total of 151 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Lovell was also fined $600. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that, between August 2010 and August 7, 2012, Lovell was involved with others in the manufacture of methamphetamine in Saline and Johnson Counties. On May 16, 2011, Saline County officers found Lovell passed out in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with the motor running and the car in gear. When Lovell and the vehicle were searched, officers located methamphetamine, methamphetamine-making materials, and ammunition. On August 7, 2012, Lovell was arrested in possession of a methamphetamine lab and methamphetamine-making materials in Johnson County. Lovell received an enhanced sentence based on his classification as a Career Offender.

The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Vienna Police Department, Saline County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police Methamphetamine Response Team, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson for prosecution.