From staff reports
MANTORVILLE -- A Dodge Center man was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison for manufacturing methamphetamine.
Kyle Steven Eckhoff, 27, pleaded guilty in May in Dodge District Court to one count of manufacture crimes. Four related charges were dismissed.
He was arrested April 6 after law enforcement officers searched the Dodge Center home of Donald Paul Stroebl Jr., 27.
According to a criminal complaint, officers found Eckhoff hiding in a bathroom closet at the home. Officers also apparently discovered containers of propane and butane, a bag with new hoses and filters, a spoon with a white burned residue and other drug paraphernalia. In the garage, officers apparently discovered propane tanks that tested positive for the presence of ammonia and other items related to the manufacture of meth. In a refrigerator, officers found a container with an unknown liquid and solid that had a strong odor of ammonia. Other items believed to be used in making meth also were found in Eckhoff's vehicle parked outside the residence.
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Stroebl is a co-defendant in the case, along with Scott Edward Johnson, 43, who drove Eckhoff's vehicle to Stroebl's home while officers were present. The cases against Stroebl and Johnson remain open.
During the investigation, Stroebl said Eckhoff paid him for the use of the residence as a place to manufacture meth.
Judge Lawrence Agerter sentenced Eckhoff on July 1 to 153 months in prison. Eckhoff must serve two-thirds of the sentence before he's eligible for supervised release. Eckhoff must also submit a DNA sample.
