Francisco Bustamonte, 20, and 30-year-old Scott B. Carroll, Jr. received a guilty verdict on charges of initiation of a process to manufacture methamphetamine and reckless endangerment  last Friday afternoon in DeKalb County Criminal Court.
 A seven-man, five-woman jury returned a guilty verdict  against the two men after hearing evidence that they cooked meth in the presence of Carroll’s minor sister-in-law.
Bustamonte and Carroll were arrested on Jan. 24 in the Midway Community, along with 19-year-old Wesley J. Hayes, who was also charged in the case, but did not stand trial with the other two.
The trial took place after a two hour  jury selection process, presided over by Judge David Patterson.
The trial, which got underway shortly after 11 a.m., was over at just after 3 p.m., including an hour lunch break, and ended in guilty verdicts for both the accused after just 40 minutes of deliberation.
The jury retired at 3:20 p.m. and returned  at 4 p.m. with their decision.
Carroll and Bustamonte were not only found guilty as charged in the indictments presented,  but were each given fines of $25,000 for the manufacturing charges, and $2,500 for the reckless endangerment, the maximum allowable in each case.
Sentencing for both men is scheduled for Sept. 19.
Bustamonte is looking at a possible 8-12 years in prison as a range-one offender, and Carroll could get up to 30 years as a career criminal.
The case presented by the state and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Greg Strong and Gary McKenzie included testimony from Sheriff Patrick Ray, Detective Jeremy Taylor, and Deputy Caleb Meadows.
Bustamonte was returned to jail, as he is already serving time in another case.
Carroll had been free on bond before  the trial, but his bond was revoked pending sentencing.
Taylor and Meadows told the panel that they witnessed the trio apparently in the process of making meth in the home, with all the necessary components on hand and the process already begun in the presence of the juvenile and another woman.
Ray testified as an expert witness, describing different types of meth labs and how they operate.
Local attorney Judkins represented  Carroll, and also presented closing arguments to the jury on  behalf of Bustamonte, who was represented by Assistant Public Defender Allison Rasbury.
Judkins told the jury that all of the items found in the investigation of the scene could be purchased legally at almost any retail outlet and that they are products that many people use in their homes every day.