Local News in Brief : Chemist Pleads Guilty--With a Stipulation
A North Hollywood chemist pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to manufacture 35 pounds of methamphetamine, but the plea was entered with an unusual agreement between the prosecutor and defendant--that it be withdrawn if a key informant’s credibility is thrown into doubt.
The chemist, Luther Dickson, 47, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Oct. 27 in U. S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Dickson and another North Hollywood man, Larry King, were accused of conspiring to produce the drug in February and March. They purportedly met with the informant at least three times to discuss supplying chemicals to make methamphetamine, according to the indictment.
At one meeting, cocaine was given to the informant in exchange for ephedrine, a mild stimulant used to make methamphetamine, the indictment said.
King’s trial is scheduled to begin in U. S. District Court on Nov. 18.
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