A Roseboro man has been sentenced to more than 14 years in federal prison after numerous meth materials were found on his family’s Roseboro property following a fire that destroyed the home.

He was ultimately linked to a meth trafficking conspiracy and officials said the destruction could have been caused during the drug’s production.

Steven McClenny, 52, of Roseboro, was sentenced earlier this week to 170 months, to be followed by three years supervised release. The judge also ordered McClenny to pay restitution in the amount of $5,055.89.

His sentencing was the fifth out of “Operation Juiced Out,” which targeted the methamphetamine trafficking problem in Sampson County.

McClenny pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute five grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. He was sentenced Tuesday.

On Oct. 16, 2007, officers with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation responded to a fire at the home of one of McClenny’s family members, one that would destroy the residence.

During the investigation, officers were told that McClenny had been making drugs earlier in the day and some friends of his had been seen “carrying jugs, tubing and Coleman fuel into the woods,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

“The makings of a meth lab” were subsequently found on the property, including a propane tank that tested positive for anhydrous ammonia, a key ingredient in methamphetamine. Investigators also noted a refrigerator which contained waste materials from the cooking of meth.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the fumes from the waste required one of the investigating agents to be treated by emergency medical personnel for toxic exposure.

Officers later learned that the anhydrous ammonia came from Craig Hobbs, 43, of Clinton, and that for a gallon of anhydrous, Hobbs would charge two or three “eight balls” of meth.

Investigators said Hobbs received a license allowing him to purchase anhydrous ammonia in 2004 and began to pose as an air conditioning repairman in order to obtain the substance. He then sold the anhydrous ammonia to meth cooks across the county.

Federal prosecutors said that identifying initials had been placed on the ammonia tank found by law enforcement so it would not be confused with another tank of anhydrous that was being delivered to Samuel Faircloth, 42, of Autryville.

Faircloth was sentenced to more than five years in prison in February.

Hobbs, called the linchpin in Sampson’s meth activity, was sentenced to serve 15 years and ordered to pay restitution in excess of $30,000 in March.

“The facts of this case are a stark reminder of the dangers associated with the manufacture of illegal drugs,” Holding said in a press release Thursday. “While the government’s evidence does not directly tie the fire which destroyed the home to the illegal production of methamphetamine, the destruction which was part of this case is a common result of the production of methamphetamine. Those who would engage in this type of illegal conduct need to be aware, not only of the serious penalties you face if prosecuted, but of the danger to life and limb from your crime.”

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, Sampson County Probation Office and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Wells served as prosecutor for the government.

William Henry Paschall, 32, of Clinton, and Ramon Singleton, 29, of Newton Grove, have also been sentenced as part of “Juiced Out.” They received sentences of seven years and 10 years, respectively.

Still awaiting sentencing are Sabrina Ann Royal, 23, of Clinton, Adam Strickland, 23, of Faison, and Corey Reed Harmon, 20, of Autryville.

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@myclintonnc.com.