Corbin man pleads guilty to making meth; could get 17 years in prison

A Corbin man, who authorities say operated a methamphetamine lab that exploded and set a family member’s home on fire, has pleaded guilty to the crime and could receive 17 years in prison.

Forty-year-old William Whittle pleaded guilty to a charge of manufacturing methamphetamine last week in Laurel Circuit Court last Friday. Formal sentencing in the case is set for May 31.

According to Michael D. Pratt and Harold F. Dyche, that Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys who prosecuted the case, Whittle was making meth at a family member’s house, without their permission or knowledge, when his meth lab exploded and set the house on fire. Whittle didn’t make any effort to warn anyone, including two small children in the house, that there was a fire. Instead, he simply fled the residence.

The Laurel County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.

Prosecutors are recommending a 17-year prison sentence for Whittle.

Jackie Steele, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Knox and Laurel Counties, said "this case is just another example of the sentences that people convicted for manufacturing methamphetamine in the 27th Judicial Circuit can expect. Individuals involved in illegal production and distribution of methamphetamine will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and the evidence."