Carbon man admits meth lab operation

A Carbon County man admitted to a methamphetamine operation on Thursday as he pleaded guilty to a drug charge.

William Simon Billings, 42, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance — meth.

He was arrested on June 22 after agents of the state Attorney General’s office and the county drug task force served a search warrant on his home in the 2500 block of Long Run Road, Franklin Township. Materials used in the production of meth and also for the distribution of the illegal drugs were found in the home.

In exchange for the plea, the district attorney’s office agreed to drop charges of possession of a controlled substance, possessing phenylpropanolamine, etc., or a precursor substance with intent to unlawfully manufacture, risking a catastrophe and illegal dumping of methamphetamine waste.

President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II, who accepted the plea, told Billings that under state sentencing guidelines, he faces a minimum prison term between 21 and 27 months up to seven years.

Billings, according to his court-appointed defense counsel, attorney Arley L. Kemmerer, will apply for placement in the state’s intermediate punishment program. Nanovic said before that happens, the DA must agree to the application to the program, then Billings will be transferred to a state prison to be evaluated for the program, then if the state approves his placement, it must also be approved by Nanovic.

The state IP is a two-year program in which the defendant spends about seven months in prison followed by a period of time in an intensive drug rehabilitation program followed by a period of time in a halfway house setting. If he fails to complete it, he would then be brought back to the county for resentencing.

Nanovic deferred sentencing to give Billings the chance to pursue the IP placement.