A 38-year-old Hutchinson managed to get part of his sentence in a meth manufacturing case vacated and the case will be brought back to District Court for re-sentencing. That was decision in a recent Supreme Court ruling.

M-L Snellings was convicted on a 2008 case where he along with Samuel Price, Jr., and Gary Pinkston were caught with items consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Snellings entered no contest plea to eight drug related charges and also criminal possession of firearm. He was sentenced by Judge Joe McCarville to downward departure sentence of 144-months. The Kansas Court of Appeals upheld his sentence, but he then asked for a review by the Supreme Court.

They affirmed everything except the severity level on being possession of certain items used to manufacture meth. The courts have ruled consistently that possession of such items as ephedrine and possession of drug paraphernalia have the same elements as each other and should be level four offenses, not level 2, so they are remanding the case back to District Court to be resentenced using the correct sentencing level.

This stop that led to the arrest of Snellings and the other two men happened in the early morning hours of April 13, 2008. The three were arrested in the area of Wall and Cleveland in Hutchinson because the vehicle allegedly had no brake lights, and headlights were off.

Reno County Sheriff Deputy Corey Graber alleges he could clearly see drugs and also items consistent with the manufacture of meth inside the vehicle leading the a further search. They then allegedly found anhydrous ammonia, lithium metal, ephedrine and numerous syringes.

When the re-sentencing of Snellings will occur is unknown at this point.