|
|
| Home Page |  |
Another meth lab busted Investigators and deputies of the Mille Lacs County Sheriffís Office arrested Michael Peter Henderson, 36, of Milaca, Tuesday, May 21 for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Hendersonís home, southwest of Pease, was under surveillance until investigators could obtain a search warrant. On May 21 investigator Alan Marxhausen and his partner investigator Brett Lindgren, K-9 officer Terry Boltjes, his police dog, Keeya, and deputy Todd Quaintance searched Hendersonís home and found a meth lab on the second floor. Officers also found a large number of coffee filters which contained meth. The home also had a venting system, which consisted of a dryer hose and an electric powered fan which vented gasses from the second floor into the attic of the home. The lab had three propane tanks with altered valves, which is consistent with the unlawful containment of anhydrous ammonia. All three tanks tested positive for the presence of anhydrous ammonia. Other components of the clandestine lab which officers found were a hot plate, containers of ephedrine tablets in liquid and a methamphetamine Meth lab cook book which specifically referenced the "Birch Reduction" and "Nazi" method of manufacturing meth. Officers also found an uncased, loaded .410 caliber shotgun, a radio scanner tuned to the Mille Lacs County Sheriffís Departmentís dispatch frequency, along with an audio surveillance system. The surveillance system, which was located in the driveway area, made conversations occurring up to 50 feet from the home, audible on the second floor. Henderson provided a statement in which he acknowledged ownership of the meth lab and that he sells meth to support himself as he has been without employment for the past six months. Henderson also admitted to smoking approximately two grams of meth per day. It took Marxhausen, a certified clandestine methamphetamine laboratory specialist, approximately 14 hours to safely dismantle the lab. Henderson has been charged with a controlled substance crime in the first degree (manufacturing methamphetamine), a charge that carries a maximum penalty of not less than three years in prison and/or a $1 million fine. He has also been charged with the unlawful tampering, theft or transport of anhydrous ammonia, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine. Henderson has also been charged with using police radios during commissions of crime, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. Bail for Henderson has been set at $100,000. He is currently in the Mille Lacs County Jail. So far this year, officers have dismantled five meth labs in Mille Lacs County.
©Mille Lacs County Times |