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Two convicted of cooking meth
Maximum fines imposed
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BUSTAMONTE and CARROLL
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.