Coatesville man gets seven years for meth lab that caused explosion

The same methamphetamine lab explosion that landed a 30-year-old Putnam County man in the hospital in 2012 has now sent him to the Indiana Department of Correction.

Steven M. Weldon Jr., 7315 E. U.S. 36, Coatesville, has been sentenced to seven years in the DOC, all to be executed, as a result of a plea agreement approved Monday afternoon by Putnam Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges.

Steve Weldon

Weldon agreed to plead guilty to a Class B felony count of attempted manufacture/dealing in methamphetamine in exchange for the state dropping charges of possession of precursors with intent to manufacture meth and possession of syringes, as well as an accompanying habitual substance abuser enhancement.

Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter Monday asked the defendant to recall the circumstances of the Sept. 19, 2012 explosion that resulted in him sustaining "significant burns from head to toe," according to the police narrative filed by Greencastle Officer Nick Eastham.

"There was an explosion while you were making meth," Bookwalter began, "and it blew up and caught you on fire, is that correct? And police went sent to the hospital because of your injuries, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," Weldon said in a brief response to an admission that could have gotten him anywhere from six to 20 years in prison as a Class B felony.

The plea agreement with the Prosecutor's Office produced a seven-year sentence but came with the knowledge that Weldon faces a similar charge in Parke County in which he and attorney James Holder are arguing for a six-year sentence. The resolution to that case should come March 31.

Regardless, the Parke County time will be consecutive to the sentence ordered Monday by Judge Bridges, meaning Weldon would likely be incarcerated for 13 years.

"My client has a rather lengthy history," Holder told the court, adding that he believes the "plea proposal is just" while asking that Judge Bridges accept it as written.

Bookwalter, meanwhile, said Weldon "hasn't been able to change" and keeps getting involved in the same meth-related issues "over and over again."

Next time, however, the prosecutor promised, the habitual substance offender enhancement will stick and Weldon would face a much greater sentence if caught violating Indiana drug laws.

Weldon was arrested in the case after authorities were called to the Putnam County Hospital Emergency Room on the report that a patient who had sustained third-degree burns had become disorderly after the ER staff advised him law enforcement had been called to investigate his suspicious burns.

The defendant initially told police he lit a cigarette in close proximity to a gasoline can, and it exploded.

Putnam County Deputy Kyle Gibbons and GPD Officer Eastham convinced Weldon that because of the severity of his injuries it was imperative they inspect the location to ensure no one else was in need of medical attention and that the explosion had been contained.

Weldon confided that the incident had occurred at a large red barn on the Russell Saathoff Jr. property on County Road 100 East, south of Heartland Automotive.

Authorities then confirmed that it was indeed a meth lab but it had exploded in the basement of the home there, not at the barn.

Following Weldon's guilty plea and sentencing, Judge Bridges noted he would ask DOC officials to place Weldon in a program designed to aid meth offenders.

Weldon, who also received credit for 424 days served at the Putnam County Jail, asked for immediate transport to the DOC following Monday's hearing.

That would depend on the DOC's timetable, Judge Bridges advised him.