By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
CASSOPOLIS - A Portage man implicated in methamphetamine manufacturing and the September 2004 Marcellus Township death of a Bloomingdale man faces 74 years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to six felonies in Cass and Kalamazoo counties.
Robert Richards, 31, of 8622 Newhouse, Portage, is admitting involvement in the death of Josh McCreary, 25, at 10872 Cranberry Lake St., Marcellus, according to Prosecutor Victor Fitz.
Richards agreed to plead guilty in Cass County to manslaughter, habitual second (22 1/2-year penalty), conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, subsequent drug offender (40-year penalty) and felony firearm (mandatory two years consecutive penalty).
Richards entered pleas of guilty to the underlying counts and being an habitual offender second offense this week in front of Circuit Judge Michael Dodge.
Richards is scheduled to enter his plea of guilty to the subsequent drug offender charge at the time of his Jan. 27, 2006, Cass County sentencing.
Richards also agreed to plead guilty in Kalamazoo County to manufacture of methamphetamine, habitual second (30-year felony), possession of methamphetamine (15-year felony) and felony firearm (mandatory two years consecutive penalty).
Those pleas are scheduled in front of Circuit Judge Lamb in Kalamazoo Circuit Court on Nov. 14.
The plea agreement requires that the Kalamazoo sentences be consecutive to the Cass County sentencing.
At his Cass County plea Nov. 2, Bobby Richards acknowledged providing co-defendant Travis Schmid with a gun approximately a month before the murder.
He also admitted seeing Schmid, of Richland, shoot McCreary as the victim tried to escape a burning bus. McCreary's remains were discovered in March.
The law enforcement investigation established that the bus was a location where the trio previously cooked methamphetamine.
Richards referred to his role in the killing as “a lookout,” Fitz said.
Bobby Richards and his brother David Richards assisted law enforcement in locating the remains of Josh McCreary at a remote burial ground in Marcellus Township earlier this year.
Co-defendant Travis Schmid previously entered a plea of guilty to crimes of second-degree murder, conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of felony firearm.
Schmid is scheduled for sentencing in Cass County Circuit Court at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 18.
Fitz commented, “These convictions assure that both defendants serve lengthy prison terms for their involvement in this meth-related tragedy.”
Fitz added that the family of Josh McCreary is satisfied with the outcome. Fitz also emphasized, “The Cass County Sheriff's Department, the Michigan State Police and their crime lab, the FBI crime lab as well as many other individuals and agencies worked diligently to make sure that the perpetrators were brought to justice.”