GARYVILLE — A local man linked to separate Garyville meth lab operations in 2014 and 2015 was sentenced to more than 10 years in jail following his guilty plea last week in St. John the Baptist Parish, authorities said.

According to District Attorney Bridget A. Dinvaut’s office, Christopher Rowe pleaded guilty Aug. 9 to the creation and operation of a clandestine laboratory in separate criminal cases. Judge E. Jeffrey Perilloux sentenced Rowe to 13 years with the Department of Corrections.

Dinvaut noted St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives executed a search warrant at Rowe’s Historic West Street home in Garyville Dec. 17, 2014, locating meth, precursors for meth manufacturing and evidence of a meth laboratory.

While released on bond for that arrest, Dinvaut said narcotics detectives again executed a search warrant at Rowe’s residence June 25, 2015, finding meth, precursors for meth manufacturing and “an active methamphetamine laboratory.”

Dinvaut said Rowe had no prior felony convictions, but Sheriff’s Office officials noted at his June 2015 arrest that Rowe has been arrested eight times in St. John Parish since 1994.

“Due to the strength of the narcotics investigations and the weight of evidence, the District Attorney’s Office was prepared to go to trial,” Dinvaut said. “However, in lieu of trial, Rowe agreed to plead guilty.”

The St. John Public Defender’s Office represented Rowe, and Assistant D.A. J. Philip Prescott Jr. prosecuted the case.

During the 2015 search of Rowe’s home, Sheriff Mike Tregre said detectives also encountered Wanda Summers and Dennis Joseph.

“Joseph resisted detectives by punching and kicking them,” Tregre said at the time. “During the search of the residence, detectives found an active methamphetamine laboratory. Detectives recovered approximately $300 of methamphetamine, $50 of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, a shotgun and numerous rounds of ammunition.”

Joseph was booked with distribution of methamphetamines, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, resisting a deputy with force or violence and taking contraband to a penal institution. Summers was booked with distribution of methamphetamine.

A request to the District Attorney’s office updating the dispositions of Summers’ and Joseph’s prosecutions was not immediately returned.