Lake Geneva man agrees to pay $10,000 of $125,000 requested after meth lab explosion

Feb. 09--ELKHORN -- A Lake Geneva man sentenced to prison after a methamphetamine lab exploded in a Lake Geneva hotel last year agreed Friday to pay more than $10,000 in restitution, although more than $125,000 had been requested.

Patrick M. McBean, 51, was sentenced Oct. 25 to two years in prison and two years of extended supervision. He agreed to plead guilty to knowingly possessing meth waste after police found him at the scene of a meth lab explosion at The Cove of Lake Geneva Hotel on Jan. 9, 2017.

The two parties in the case agreed at Friday's restitution hearing that McBean would be on the hook for $10,668.42, divided up by:

* $5,000 for The Cove

* $4,500 to Society Insurance

* $1,168.42 for workers compensation for two Walworth County sheriff's deputies

Almost $110,000 had been requested to reimburse American Insurance, although no one from the Missouri-based group showed up to Friday's hearing.

Walworth County Assistant District Attorney Haley Johnson said after Friday's hearing that such hearings help the court weigh how much the victims are owed and how much the defendant is able to pay--numbers that do not always align.

The payment could be finalized after McBean's lawyer, Stephen Kramer, contacts McBean's mother, who will pay the restitution amount.

If the plan for payment falls through, Court Commissioner Gerad Dougvillo said the court and involved parties could review the matter Friday, Feb. 23.

McBean was heard asking Kramer before the hearing about the responsibility of the co-actor in the case--Melissa Kuen--adding that she was the one "who did this."

McBean will not be solely responsible for the entire restitution amount if Kuen is convicted on her charges.

Kuen was hospitalized after the explosion, and prosecutors have said she was the one cooking meth in the bathroom, according to court documents.

Friday's agreement applies to McBean only, Johnson said, although if he pays part of the amount, it will reduce the total for Kuen.

Kuen is charged with manufacturing meth, party to knowingly possessing meth waste and party to possession of drug paraphernalia. She pleaded not guilty to the charges July 10.

Kuen is set for a March jury trial with a final pretrial hearing at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22.

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