Vandalia man given 15-year prison sentence

A Vandalia man who was convicted on burglary and methamphetamine charges in an October jury trial has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

At a recent sentence hearing, Fayette County Resident Circuit Judge Gene Schwarm ordered that Avery A. Swarms serve prison terms for four offenses committed in the spring of this year.

Schwarm sentenced Swarms to 

• 15 years for residential burglary, for entering a home in rural Brownstown with the intent to commit a theft.

• Eight years for participation in methamphetamine manufacturing, producing less than 15 grams of a substance containing meth.

• Five years for possession of methamphetamine-manufacturing materials, including Coleman camp fuel, drain opener, ice compress, lithium battery strips and crushed pseudoephedrine.

• Eight years for possession of a meth precursor, for possession of crushed pseudoephedrine in a form other than a standard dose form with the intent that it be used to manufacture 10-20 grams of meth.

The four sentences are to be served concurrently, with Swarms receiving 210 days credit for time already served.

The office of Fayette County State’s Attorney Joshua Morrison filed those charges against Swarms on April 26 of this year, with the offenses allegedly being committed three days before.

At a three-day trial that ended on Oct. 2, a Fayette County jury deliberated a little less than three hours before returning guilty verdicts on the four charges.