Preble County man on lam for 3 years in meth case back in jail

A Preble County man on the lam for nearly three years will be back in court Tuesday in connection to a December 2012 meth bust.

Ronald Dean Risner, 52, was arrested Thursday by the Preble County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page.

There was a $5,000 reward offered for Risner’s capture by Preble County Prosecutor Marty Vogel, but it’s not clear whether it will be paid.

Risner had been at large since at least Jan. 21, 2014, when he didn’t show up for court to finalize a plea deal after his Jan. 13, 2014, jury trial was set aside, online court records show.

He had been indicted for illegal manufacture of drugs, illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, aggravated possession of drugs, having weapons following a felony conviction and drug paraphernalia offenses. The case against him stemmed from a methamphetamine operation uncovered at his home in the 700 block of Oxford Germantown Road in Somers Twp., between Oxford and Camden near the border between Butler and Preble counties.

Detectives raided the property Dec. 17, 2012, and found chemicals and equipment used to make meth, including anhydrous ammonia, pseudoephedrine and solvents, as well as cash, numerous firearms and finished meth, according to the Preble County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies raided the same home in April 2006 while investigating a meth operation, according to the sheriff’s office. In that case, Risner was sentenced to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to reduced charges, online court records show.