Final suspect in meth ring 
pleads guilty

The fifth and final co-conspirator in a Newton methamphetamine manufacturing ring raided by county and local authorities on Sept. 16 pleaded guilty in Jasper County District Court Monday.

Kristina Marie Owens, 20, of Newton admitted during the 9:30 a.m. hearing that she was involved in the operation of a meth lab at 608 S. Second Avenue West. Assistant Jasper County Attorney Scott Nicholson offered amended charges on behalf of the state indicting Owens with conspiracy to manufacture, deliver and/or possess with intent to deliver less than five grams of meth (a class C felony).

Owens told Judge Brad McCall that she purchased the pseudoephedrine required to cook the illegal drug. The defendant said she did not realize it was an ingredient necessary to the controlled substance at the time, but knew that it would be used in the manufacturing process.

The court ordered that Owens be released from the Jasper County Jail Monday pending her March 19, sentencing hearing. The state will recommend that Owens be offered two years probation for the admitted crime and will forgo a recommendation for prison time. Nicholson also said the state would suggest a $1,000 fine as part of her sentence.

Four other individuals in the case all have pleaded guilty to similar charges. Adam W. Wadsworth, the 34-year-old Newton man who’s residence was being used to operate the lab, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Dec. 5, for conspiracy to manufacture the product.

Before Wadsworth’s Dec. 5 plea agreement, the state amended his charge to include intent to deliver the schedule II controlled substance. Wadsworth’s plea came exactly one week after his 21-year-old accomplice, Benjamin D. Beck, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement with the manufacturing ring.

Another accomplice, 33-year-old Wesley D. Burnett of Newton, was also sentenced to 10 years in prison with an additional two years probation on Dec. 12, and 42-year-old Denise Marie Campbell was also granted pre-sentencing release Monday after a bond review hearing. Campbell pleaded guilty Jan. 9 and will be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 20, according to online court records.

What began as a traffic stop for Burnett’s invalid driver’s license turned into a full meth investigation after a deputy from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office found multiple items in his vehicle related to manufacturing the illegal substance. Assisted by the Newton Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol, the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force executed a search warrant on Wadsworth’s apartment and found the active lab.