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Police arrest 3 in meth lab case

Officers report finding items in a car and Crystal River motel room that are often used to make methamphetamine.

By Times Staff Writer
Published May 28, 2005

CRYSTAL RIVER - Police said they broke up a nascent methamphetamine laboratory early Friday at the Crystal Manatee Motel, formerly known as the Village Inn Motel.

The manager at the motel, which is under new ownership, reported suspicious behavior about 1 a.m., according to a police news release. Guests from Room 110, who had checked in Thursday night, were in the parking lot washing a car that the manager said was damaged and possibly stolen.

Officer Thomas Peruche and recruit Officer Norman Cartwright went to the motel, 310 Citrus Ave., and followed the car in question as it was driven away, according to the release. The police stopped the car on U.S. 19, and Peruche observed a plastic bag containing blue pills inside the vehicle.

A Citrus County sheriff's deputy and canine assisted, and police eventually found several bags of pills and eight 1-gallon cans of camp stove fuel in the vehicle, according to the release.

Police Cpl. Ian Hay stayed with the vehicle's occupants - Susan N. Hall, 20, and Kimberly L. Baker, 18, both of Marion County - while Peruche and Cartwright returned to the motel room, where they found Cody A. Calton, 19, of Leesburg, who gave them permission to search, according to the release.

The officers said they found thousands of pills and other chemicals commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine.

"These items were in containers, and the lab was not yet in operation," according to the release.

Police also found 2 grams of methamphetamine, 29 grams of marijuana, scales, plastic bags and other materials.

Police Chief Steven Burch praised the motel manager and officers. Meantime, the three suspects were booked into the Citrus County jail on a variety of drug charges. Bail was set at $85,000 each.

[Last modified May 28, 2005, 00:26:23]