A Whitehorse man has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for operating a meth lab in the basement of his mother’s Riverdale home.

Trevor Mendham, 24, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of production and possession of methamphetamine.

Last February, the Whitehorse Fire Department responded to a call from Mendham’s residence on Alsek Road.

The caller said a television set had caught fire.

Upon investigation, evidence of suspicious chemicals consistent with meth production was discovered.

Mendham wasn’t charged with trafficking because he was making the drug to support a personal habit rather than for re-sale.

This was the first recorded case of a meth lab in Whitehorse.

That was alluded to by Mendham’s lawyer, Melissa Atkinson, who said the charges add a page to Yukon legal history.

Mendham was also charged with theft and breach for stealing lithium batteries from a grocery store and fleeing the RCMP in June.

During his decision, Judge Peter Chisolm said the court took the charges very seriously.

“The drug is a highly addictive drug,” he said.

The chemicals required to make meth are both dangerous and highly explosive, he noted.

Chisolm said it was difficult not to sympathize with Mendham, who started using meth recreationally seven years ago, and who has a history of addiction.

However, he said, the gravity of the situation is high.

He accepted a joint submission of 30 months.

When Chisolm asked Mendham if he wanted to speak to the court, Mendham’s response was almost unintelligible.

“I’m an addict,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“He’s feeling a bit emotional right now,” said Atkinson.

Her client had told her he was apologetic and remorseful, she added.

Mendham will receive credit for five months and 24 days already served. That leaves him with a remaining sentence of 24 months and seven days.

That time will be served in a federal penitentiary.

By Amy Kenny Star Reporter