Independence Couple Sentenced for Meth Lab

An Independence woman, and her former roommate, have been sentenced to ten years in prison on methamphetamine charges.

23 year old Kelsey Hartsoe was handed the sentence Tuesday in Buchanan County district Court in Independence. Hartsoe had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, in March. She must complete a minimum of one-third of her ten year sentence before she is eligible for parole.

The charge stems from the discovery of a clandestine meth lab in an Independence apartment she shared with Nicholas Thomas in November of 2014.

The 26 year old Thomas had also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture meth, and was sentenced to ten years, with a minimum of a third of that, before he is elegible for parole. That sentence will run consecutive to a five year prison sentence he began to serve in January, for another drug-related offense.