Valley Center : 3 in 1 Family, Accomplice Get Drug Sentences

Three members of a North County family that was charged with running an illegal methamphetamine ring and an associate each received prison sentences Monday for their roles in the operation.

U. S. District Judge Gordon Thompson sentenced Ronald Mason, 26, of Escondido to 7 1/2 years in prison for admittedly conspiring to manufacture the illegal stimulant. Mason’s father-in-law, Elbry Spencer, received a five-year term for his guilty plea to the same charge.

Jody Jester, 51, of Valley Center was sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing half a pound of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Mason’s stepbrother, Richard S. Perez, received 7 1/2 years for being an accessory after the fact to the conspiracy and a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Authorities allege that the drug ring operated for more than two years before it was broken up in a June raid on nine North County locations, which yielded about $2 million in cash, weapons and various drugs.

Eleven of 13 defendants in the case have pleaded guilty to charges that have led to the seizure of about $2.5 million in assets by the government, Assistant U.S. Atty. Paul DiPaolo said outside court.

Mason’s father, 49-year-old Escondido businessman Donald Mason, has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the conspiracy and could receive a maximum 7 1/2 years in prison at his sentencing next Monday.

Donald Mason’s wife, Joyce, and a daughter-in-law of Mason had their prosecutions deferred until March 1, 1990. Charges against them will be dismissed because of their minor roles, provided they don’t get into any more trouble with the law, officials said.

Alleged ringleader Richard Mason, 24, of Valley Center, was sentenced last week to 7 1/2 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and failing to accurately report his income on his 1985 federal tax form.