(Sioux City)—A Spirit Lake man was sentenced today (Fri.) in U-S District Court to five years in federal prison for manufacturing methamphetamine in a pool-side room at an Okoboji resort.
42-year-old Matthew Sheridan pleaded guilty October 19th of last year to manufacturing and attempting to manufacture more than five grams of pure methamphetamine.
It stems from an incident on July 20th, 2006 when a security guard entered Sheridan’s pool-side room and smelled a strong chemical odor. The guard informed two other employees and law enforcement were called.
Upon arriving, Sheridan tried to hide from officers. He placed his hands under pillow. He finally removed them and put them in his pockets. Officers then discovered a tray with a burnt piece of aluminum foil, some white powder and a snort tube under the pillow.
Sheridan was searched and two small bags of white powder were discovered. Sheridan told officers the two baggies each contained about an eight ball, or three and-a-half grams of meth he had purchaed from a man he wouldn’t name.
Sheridan admitted he had been using the room to manufacture methamphetamine.
A subsequent search of the room and Sheridan’s vehicle turned up chemicals, tubing and containers along with about 27 grams of marijuana, a bag of 5.84 grams of meth; a bag with about 6.74 grams of meth, several unused baggies and a shotgun shell.
A subsequent investigation revealed Sheridan had acquired over a thousand pseudoephedrine pills to produce more than 57 grams of pure methamphetamine.
Sheridan is being held in the custody of the U-S Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
