A man plead guilty to attempting to make methamphetamine which caused a house fire near a protected location.
According to United States Attorney’s office, Dubuque man, Rory Lee Zirkelbach was convicted of one count of manufacturing meth within 1,000 ft. of Fulton Elementary School and Comiskey Park.
The 43 year-old plead guilty on February 28, 2013 in a federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Evidence from a previous detention hearing showed that Zirkelbach attempted to manufacture meth on the second floor of a residence on Jackson St. on May 31, 2012. The meth lab caught fire.
A passing driver noticed the house was burning and told a neighbor standing on the front porch. The woman then entered the residence to rescue her child, who was sleeping in her half of the home.
Zirkelbach remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of one year imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 60 years imprisonment.
He also faces a $4,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment and at least six years supervised release following any imprisonment.