PARIS — A judge sentenced a Phillips man Friday to two and a half years in prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine manufacturing operation in Franklin County. 

Prosecutors in Oxford County Superior Court on Friday said Michael Halle, 46, was the ringleader in a small methamphetamine manufacturing outfit in Phillips, preparing the highly addictive stimulant primarily for personal use but also for financial gain. 

He was indicted by a grand jury in October 2014 and pleaded guilty to a single count of Class B unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs in Franklin County Superior Court in December. On Dec. 24, the case was transferred from the Franklin County Unified docket to Oxford County.

Halle faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine. The state had sought an eight-year prison sentence, with all but four years suspended. Defense attorney Curtis Rice asked for a three-year sentence, with all but six months suspended.

Active-Retired Justice Robert Clifford ordered a sentence of six years with all but two and a half suspended.

Halle was also ordered to pay the mandatory minimum fine of $400 and will be placed on three years of probation following his release from the Maine Department of Corrections. He is barred from possessing drugs, is subject to random search and seizure and must complete a drug rehabilitation program.

If he engages in criminal conduct during his probation, he could be ordered to serve the remaining three and a half years of his sentence.

According to court documents, police became aware of the meth operation through a confidential informant on July 9, 2014. Following a routine traffic stop on July 14, Kimberly Webber, 25, of Vienna and Jason Fowler, 40, of Chesterville, were arrested and charged with one count each of unlawful trafficking in a schedule drug. During a search of their vehicle, police officers found meth and the equipment used to make it.

They told police they thought Halle might be teaching others to make the drug.

During a search of Halle’s residence, police seized the equipment used to make the drug, though not the drug itself, according to an affidavit. Halle later admitted to possessing and manufacturing the drug, but only for his consumption. 

A fourth person, Erin Smith, 43, of Phillips, was also arrested. She pleaded guilty to unlawful trafficking in a scheduled drug in December and is on a two-year deferred sentencing agreement. 

As of last month, Webber’s and Fowler’s cases were ongoing.

Deputy District Attorney James Andrews said the circumstances strongly suggested Halle traded meth for the drugs needed to make it to continue fueling his own addiction. 

“Maine is getting an influx of this drug coming from other states,” Andrews said. 

After searching pharmacy records, police discovered Halle had made over 40 purchases of Sudafed, an over-the-counter prescription drug that contains pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient for making meth. Sudafed purchases are monitored by the state, which only allows a limited monthly allotment per person. 

Andrews said Halle traded the drugs because he had fallen on hard financial times. 

“This is not a super lab … he is not getting rich,” Andrews said. 

Rice argued that the ingredients found in Halle’s home indicated the meth was used for personal consumption and there was never enough produced for sale or trade. He said Halle purchased roughly half of the Sudafed legally allowed per month. 

He called prosecutors’ recommended eight-year sentence “crazy” and said their claims were overstated and based on circumstantial evidence. 

Rice’s main contention was that Halle manufactured the drug solely to fuel his and a partner’s habit, and not for financial gain. 

“This was a small operation,” Rice said. “It wasn’t a lab. We call it that because it’s a technical term. It’s a guy making it with plastic bottles and tubes and it can be done easily.”

He noted that Halle was found to be in possession of less meth than Smith, who received no jail time through a deal to defer sentencing for two years.

ccrosby@sunjournal.com