Last Thursday, 62-year old Charles E. Witherspoon, also known as “Spoon,” of Elkville, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton on a one-count indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, according to Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.  Witherspoon, who had previously pled guilty to the methamphetamine offense, was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment, 3 years’ supervised release and was fined $300.  The offense occurred between March 2012 and March 2013 in Jackson and Perry Counties.  Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Witherspoon was involved with co-defendant Charles Scott and others in the manufacture of methamphetamine.  On March 13, 2013, Scott received severe burns while manufacturing methamphetamine inside Witherspoon’s Elkville residence.  Witherspoon’s sentence was enhanced based on the substantial risk of harm created by his criminal conduct.  Scott was previously sentenced to nearly 6 years imprisonment for his role in the methamphetamine conspiracy.   The investigation was conducted by the Perry County Sheriff’s Office and the Pinckneyville Police Department among other agencies.