Press Release

December 9, 2009

-Princeton-

Dennis A. Burns, age 42, Evansville, was sentenced today in Circuit Superior Court to ten (10) years of prison following his admission that he manufactured methamphetamines near Shiloh Cemetery in Gibson County.  Burns pled guilty as a result of a plea agreement to Manufacturing of Methamphetamine, a Class B felony.  He will serve the first 8 years in the Indiana Department of Correction with the remaining 2 years to be served on probation and will receive credit for the time he has served since being incarcerated in March, 2009.  

On January 26, 2008 law enforcement officers responded to an anonymous complaint regarding a strong chemical odor coming from an area near a building occupied by Dennis Burns.  This building was located near the Shiloh Cemetery and has previously been the scene of meth labs unrelated to this matter that led to the conviction of a number of individuals.  Upon investigating, it was determined that a number of neighbors had witnessed a large amount of traffic coming to and from the residence during the previous two months, and many of the license plate numbers they had written down returned to known users of methamphetamines.   

Officers spoke with Dennis Burns, who was outside the residence burning something in a large metal drum.  Burns told officers he has been arrested before and had recently done six years for meth.  Burns then stated he had to go to a birthday party and left in a hurry.  A subsequent check of the residence led to the discovery of numerous items used in the meth manufacturing process, including pseudoephedrine, starting fluid, stripped lithium batteries, and anhydrous ammonia.  Officers also discovered numerous meth-related items being burned in the metal drum.  

Gibson County Prosecutor Robert Krieg noted this meth lab bust was a direct result of yet another group of concerned citizens alerting law enforcement of suspicious activity in their neighborhood. 

MAN GETS 10 YEARS FOR MANUFACTURING METH (Burns)