An Ainsworth man was given a suspended 10-year prison sentence for his role in a southeast Iowa drug ring.

Court records show that 51-year-old Nicholas James Dittrich pleaded guilty to a lesser class C felony charge of conspiring to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine, and was ordered to serve five years of probation and be placed in a residential correctional facility for 365 days or until maximum benefits have been achieved. A $1,000 fine and surcharge were suspended, and Dittrich was found not to have the reasonable ability to pay Category B restitution. He was originally charged with a class B felony for conspiring to manufacture or deliver more than five grams of methamphetamine and was arrested in August of 2021.

In October of 2019 a search warrant was executed at his then-residence of 3066 Old White Way where Curtis Anthony Cousins and Kolette Christine Daniels also resided. Daniels also pleaded guilty to a lesser class C felony charge and was given a suspended 10-year sentence this January, and Cousins was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison in April 2021 for possession with intent to distribute meth and possession of a firearm.