Billy Joe Shealy, Jr. Pleads Guilty to Charge Related to Manufacture of Meth

A man authorities say was tied to three meth labs in a two-day window back in August has pleaded guilty in Oconee County Superior Court to conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act.

On Tuesday Superior Court Judge David Sweat sentenced Shealy to 10 years, of which the first 12 months must be served in prison or a regional substance abuse treatment center. In additon, Shealy must pay $1,829 in restitution, fines and probation, Clerk of Superior Court Angela Watson said.

Shealy was booked into the on drug-related charges on Aug. 12 after a deputy during a routine traffic stop in the Oconee Plaza parking lot on Hog Mountain Road.

Later that night, investigators where more materials and meth were discovered, authorities said. Barrow County deputies detained Shealy's father, Billy Joe Shealy Sr., 46, of Monroe, and Connie Lee Krachinski, 47, of Pinson, Ala. They were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine and Krachinski was also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

The following night where they found components of an active meth lab. His girlfriend, Tiffany Elrod, was charged with manufacture of methamphetamine, tampering with evidence and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Elrod entered a plea of not guilty on Oct. 18, Watson said.  A status conference date has been set for Dec. 20 to determine the date of the trial.

Correction: The date Shealy was booked into the Oconee County Jail was Aug. 12. The article has been corrected.