WHITESBORO MAN GETS 99-YEAR SENTENCE

Manufacturing methamphetamine earned a Whitesboro man a room in the Texas
Department of Corrections for up to 99 years this week.

Brent Carney, 39, received his sentence Wednesday after a jury convicted
him of possession of methamphetamine and possession of certain chemicals
with intent to manufacture methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to pay a
$10,000 fine on each charge.

"It is good to see a jury say, 'We have had enough of methamphetamine,'" in
Grayson County, said District Attorney Joe Brown. "I hope every meth cook,
drug dealer, and drug user in this county sees that verdict. The public is
sick of methamphetamine. This is the longest sentence we have seen on a
drug case."

Brown said Carney's case began on April 25, when Whitesboro Police Lt.
Scott Taylor and Officer Jason Withrow smelled an odor the believed to be a
chemical involved in the manufacture of methamphetamine while driving
through a Whitesboro neighborhood.

"The high concentration of the fumes caused the officers to have concern of
a danger to the public from ingestion of the fumes or a risk of explosion.
The odor was traced to an outside workshop in the backyard of 607 Carver
Street. While standing outside, the officers could see through the opened
doorway components of a methamphetamine laboratory," Brown said in a press
release.

He said officers met Carney and Krisney Lemons at the rear door of the
residence, and another man, Bobby Neal, inside the residence. All of them
denied knowing the source of the odor, and denied making methamphetamine.
The officers got a search warrant for the house and located a cellar in
which chemicals had been dumped and mixed with runoff rainwater. They found
two one-gallon jars with liquids that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Officers called Grayson County Environmental Officer Jim White to the scene
and he supervised the disposal of the chemicals. In the trial, White
testified that the chemicals in the cellar were a dangerous mixture that
created a high risk of explosion.

Assistant Grayson County District Attorney Joel Durrett prosecuted the
case. He enhanced the charge against Carney by alleging that Carney had
previously been convicted of a felony offense of burglary of habitation and
had served a prison term on that charge.

Carney faced a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 99 years.
Sherman attorney Rick Dunn represented Carney at trial. He said even though
his client was offered a plea deal for 15 years, Carney continued to
proclaim his innocence and decided to exercise his constitutional right to
a trial.

"He didn't deny that he was there, but he said he didn't know anything
about the drugs being there," Dunn explained. He said he will be filing a
motion for a new trial in the next 30 days and Carney has expressed an
interest in filing an appeal.

The case was tried in the 336th state District Court with Judge Lauri Blake
presiding.