After an unsuccessful attempt to have his trial moved, Jason Patrick Tope pleaded guilty to a charge of manufacturing methamphetamine Monday.

Tope, 27, entered his guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to produce meth. Two other meth-related charges &045; first-degree production of meth and aiding and abetting the production &045; and one count of escape from custody were dismissed in exchange for his plea.

Tope will face a maximum of 30 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine.

Tope was arrested in November 2001 in connection with meth production in the garage of 205 Giles Place, Albert Lea, along with his brother Shawn. Shawn had pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. The plea agreement required Shawn to testify against Jason at trial.

Tope later disappeared from his jail cell, but was recaptured.

The plea was made just before the start of Tope’s four-day trial, which had been set for Tuesday.

Tope’s lawyer attempted to get a change of venue, claiming media coverage of the case would have been prejudicial for a Freeborn County jury. Private defense attorney Frank Arend Schulte submitted 11 newspaper articles to the court to support the motion. Judge James Broberg denied the request.

One of the points Schulte raised was the articles, including those referring to his escape from jail, did not stand on the principle that a defendant is innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Schulte stated in a previous hearing that no assumptions should be made about how Tope wound up outside the jail. &uot;For all we know (Tope) was abducted by aliens,&uot; Shulte said.

Jailers discovered Tope’s jail cell empty on Feb. 8, 2002. A window had been pried open. Tope was later arrested in St. Paul.

In his ruling, Broberg said allowing the venue change would &uot;convert said escape into a ‘get a change of venue free’ card,&uot; when the escape is covered by the media.