A former Carbon County resident was sentenced to a state prison term on Tuesday after previously admitting to operating a methamphetamine laboratory.

William Billings, 42, of Bethlehem and formerly of Lehighton, was sentenced by President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II to serve two to four years in a state correctional institution on a charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. The prison term will be followed by two years of probation.

He was arrested on June 22, 2017, after agents of the state Attorney General’s office and the county drug task force served a search warrant on his home in the 2500 block of Long Run Road, Franklin Township. Materials used in the production of meth and also for the distribution of the illegal drugs were found in the home.

In exchange for the plea the district attorney’s office agreed to drop charges of possession of a controlled substance, possessing phenylpropanolamine, etc., or a precursor substance with intent to unlawfully manufacture, risking a catastrophe and illegal dumping of methamphetamine waste.

Nanovic noted that a presentence investigation report prepared by the adult probation office indicated that Billings’ wife participated in the operation by purchasing some of the materials used in the production of the meth.

Billings, however, claimed his wife didn’t know the reason he had her purchasing the materials.

Billings admitted operating the meth lab for about two years before being arrested. He also claimed he was producing the meth for personal use, which Nanovic said he had a hard time believing.

Nanovic also noted that Billings spent a considerable amount of time in a Texas prison for burglary and related counts which contributed to a high prior record score.

In addition to the jail term, Nanovic ordered Billings to get a drug and alcohol evaluation, zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use, pay court costs of about $1,000 and supply a DNA sample.

Billings, who has been in the county prison since his arrest, was given credit for 279 days. He now will be transferred to a state prison.