38 year old Michael Alan Morlock and 37 year old Jerri Del Rossi of Akron have been found guilty of Manufacturing Meth along with other drug related felonies.

The charges stem from an investigation in October of last year of a possible meth lab house on Willard st.

Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands will sentence Morlock and Del Rossi on Tuesday, April 30 at 1:15 p.m.

A 38-year Akron man was found guilty of cooking meth at Kenmore Blvd apartment complex last October.

Daniel Mack was found guilty Wednesday of manufacturing meth, illegal assembly of chemicals, and aggravated possession of drugs in judge Tammy O'Brien's courtroom .

Akron Police went to an apartment in a four-unit building on Kenmore Blvd after acting on an anonymous tip in early October. Officers found ingredients and equipment commonly used to manufacture meth as well as meth residue once they got inside .

Prosecutors say Evidence and testimony from Mack’s landlord, a tenant and Akron Police officers revealed that Mack had been using and cooking meth in the apartment for months.

Mack will be sentenced February 21.

 

Law enforcement is turning their attention to a common household product at hardware stores that has become a popular item used to manufacture meth. Lye-based drain cleaners are flying off the shelves.

Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander says they are in the early stages of looking into a possible county ordinance requiring lye product buyers to show ID.

"Make it harder on (the customers abusing the product) and then, possibly, they will go elsewhere. And then those communities will make it harder on them," Alexander said.

Alexander says he will be contacting local and national hardware stores to try and convince them of the need to combat the problem.

Sheriff: Hardware Stores Need To ID Customers by Amani Abraham

Summit County is leading in the state's 88 counties in meth lab busts this year, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Department.

Dale Marvin, manager at Ace Hardware in Hudson, says he tells his employees to look out for customers who purchase a suspicious amount of the lye-based drain cleaners.

"The employees are aware that if somebody comes in and tries buys a large quantity , they notify the managers," Marvin said.

Richard Tschantz, manager of West Hill Hardware on West Market Street, says his supplier doesn't offer many lye-based drain cleaners.

"A lot of it is due to the fact that it was being abused by people making illicit drugs, " said Tschantz.

Dustin Baker with Hoffman's ACE Hardware in Akron, says they now ask for a photo ID when customers purchase the lye-based drain cleaners.

"In the last couple of years, we've been checking (ID's) based upon the recent trends we've seen with purchases."
 

A 33-year-old man was arrested after police say he was caught cooking meth in a backpack while walking down a street in Akron Thursday night.

Akron police tell News Channel 5 security guards near an apartment building on Carnegie Avenue stopped the man, who was banned from the property, for trespassing around 10 p.m.

Officers found a small meth lab inside two bags the man was carrying. Police say in one of the bags, the meth lab was actively cooking meth..

So far in 2012, 115 meth labs have been found in Akron.

On the Web: www.newsnet5.com

An Akron man will be spending nearly a decade behind bars for making methamphetamines.

27-year old Justin Kracker will be spending the next nine years in prison for manufacturing meth in what Summit County Prosecutors announced Tuesday was the largest meth lab in Akron in 2011.

Last December, an officer from the Ohio Adult Parole Authority was given consent to search a home on Tallmadge Avenue.  Although the officer did not find the person  he was looking for, he did find a meth lab in an upstairs bedroom belonging to Kracker.

Kracker’s two-year-old daughter was home during the time of the search, and the residence is within 1,000 feet of an elementary school.

Kracker was found guilty on May 25 on various drug and child endangering counts.

He was previously convicted of Illegal Manufacture of Drugs in 2005 and Illegal Assembly of Methamphetamines in 2004.

Six people are now being charged with manufacturing meth inside a home on the city's east side. 

News Channel 5 reports Akron Police broke up the alleged operation over the weekend  at a home on Stanton Ave. Police say the six, who ranged in age from 19-53, all had items used to make the dangerous drug.

Shannon Myers, 19, Marissa Copen, 21, Linda McCune, 22, Randall Kirk, 31, Shawn Husk, 33, and Eugene Young, 53 are all facing drug-related charges including posession of methamphetamines, and illegal manufacturing of meth.

As of now, there are no court dates set for the six suspects. 

On the Web www.newsnet5.com

The City of Akron is taking further steps to promote public awareness about the dangers of methamphetamine use and manufacturing.

At-large councilman Jeff Fusco says part of the process is educating people on how these labs can cause problems.

"Right now it's vital and important for people to identify these meth labs," Fusco explained.

"These materials are toxic and dangerous to handle, so people could get hurt when they encounter these  items."

The city passed an ordinance authorizing $10,000 to be spent towards an educational program to warn about meth use and the tools used to make it.

  Akron City Council's Jeff Fusco and Russel Neal Jr by Aaron Coleman

 Ward 4 Councilman Russel Neal Jr echoes Fusco's sentiment by saying education on this problem is vital.

"It's important that we educate the public on this problem through these pieces of legislation," Neal said.

The other two ordinances passed Monday night will put the cost of meth lab cleanup on the property owners to take the burden off of the Akron Police Department for getting rid of the chemicals found at the lab sites.

The other is urging the Ohio General Assembly to set a standard for assessment and remediation of homes where meth labs have been found.

Ward 10 Councilman Garry Moneypenny believes that the APD and the taxpayers will benefit greatly from this legislation.

  Ward 10 Councilman Garry Moneypenny by Aaron Coleman

"Right now that cost is being absorbed by the residents of Akron, and with this we're trying to put some of that responsibility on the property owners."
 

The Ward 10 councilman,  who has a background in law enforcement, says there are more "shake and bake" meth labs out there and that the drug can be made in many different ways.

There are many dangers that go along with meth making and usage, including people dumping the materials along the side of the road, causing fire hazards and causing issues for children who find these materials.

Moneypenny says that the problem has reached borderline "epidemic" status and that the three ordinances are a step in the right direction to taking these drugs off the streets.

Brimfield Police and members of the Portage County Drug Task Force busted a suspected meth lab inside a home in Brimfield Township.

After a month-long investigation, six individuals included one juvenile were arrested on meth-related charges after the task force came to a home last Friday night seeking evidence in used in methamphetamine manufacturing.

In addition to finding a small meth lab, authorities seized several items used to make meth, a shot gun with shells, and a 22 cal. rifle.

Charges against the juvenile are pending. Task force members will seek additional charges when the case is presented to the Grand Jury.

Portage County Sheriff’s Office News Release

Sheriff David W. Doak announced the arrest of six individuals following a month long investigation into the illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine which culminated following the execution of a search warrant at 4396 Edson Road, Brimfield Township by members of the Portage County Drug Task Force who were assisted by the Brimfield Township Police Department.

 According to Sheriff Doak, Task Force members prepared a search warrant which was executed on Friday night, January 20, 2012, looking for evidence used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. At the time the warrant was executed several components were seized along with a small operational methamphetamine lab.

 Law enforcement officers executing the search warrant were confronted with six adults and five juveniles at the residence at the time the warrant was executed.

 Arrested was the home owner, Cherri Kuss age 38. She was charged with illegal manufacture of drugs, a felony of the second degree, Mitch Kuss age 18, of the same address, charged with complicity to manufacture drugs, a felony of the 3^rd degree, Colton Davis, age 19 of the same address, charged with complicity to manufacture drugs, a felony of the third degree, Also arrested was Andrew Schaler age 20, of Kent, Ohio, charged with complicity to manufacture drugs, felony 3, Sean Kiser, age 19 of Suffield, Ohio, charged with complicity to manufacture drugs, felony 3 and Kim Ferry, age 19 of Kent, Ohio charged with complicity to manufacture drugs, also a felony 3.

Also seized was a shot gun with shells, and a 22 cal. rifle within the confines of the residence.

Charges against one juvenile for illegal manufacturing of drugs are pending. Task force members will seek additional charges when the case is presented to the Grand Jury.

The Portage County Drug Task Force is comprised of agents from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Aurora Police Department, Kent Police Department, Garrettsville Police Department, Streetsboro Police Department, Brimfield Police Department, Ravenna Police Department and Windham Police Department along with the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office.

 By the authority of David W. Doak

Four people arrested as Akron Police break up another suspected meth house.

Police were called to a home on Henry Street Monday where they excecuted a search warrant and found items used to make meth including a 22 caliber revolver, Cocaine, a digital scale and several pieces of drug paraphernalia.
 

Darryl Tribble, Joshua Petitt, Shannon Goodyear and Michael Harmon, were arrested and are all facing numerous drug charges and are booked in jail.
 

Stow police have a Ravenna man in custody for what they say was a "portable lab" designed to make Methamphetamine.

Paul Meloy, 30, was first wanted on a phone harassment charge in Kent but picked up by Stow police after a report from a homeowner that someone tried to enter their Graham Road residence.

Meloy is now cooling his heels in the Summit County Jail on a variety of charges.

News release - Stow Police Department

On November 3, 2011, at 9:54 pm, Stow Police responded to a call of an attempted burglary at 2359 Graham Road. Someone attempted to force entry through the front door of the residence. The resident called police and advised the subject left and stated he was wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt.

The K9 unit responded to the area and initiated a track. Sometime later, a male subject was seen in the area of 2376 Graham Road wearing a red track jacket over a black hooded sweatshirt. The subject was approached and a black bookbag was observed on the sidewalk next to the male.

The male told police he had "speed" in his backpack. Upon his identification, it was learned the subject , Paul Meloy, age 30, of Ravenna, Ohio, had a warrant out of the Kent Police Department related to a telecommunications harassment charge. Meloy was arrested on the warrant and transported to Stow Police Department.

During search incident to arrest, it was discovered Meloy possessed methamphetamine and other controlled substances in small quantities. Of particular concern were the items in the bag used in the manufacture of meth.

These items are considered hazardous materials and the backpack contained what is described as a portable meth lab. The Drug Enforcement Agency contracts a company to destroy these materials because they pose such a health risk.

Meloy was charged with the following:

Possession of Drugs, F5 (x2); Illegal Manufacture of Methamphetamine, F2; Possession of Drugs, MM; Possession of Drugs, M1. Meloy was transported to Summit County Jail where he was set for arraignment.

Summit County Sheriff's Inspector Bill Holland says these smaller and more portable meth labs are one way the meth makers try to stay ahead of police.

Holland tells AkronNewsNow " There has been a singnificant increase in the "one-pot" methods because they are portable. The components are different, and the portability of them is the allure to some of the meth users." 

Holland says the portable labs in a car or back pack are just as dangerous as those found in homes because of the risk of explosions and fires.

"The dangerous thing about that is a meth lab is very volatile and explosive, and basically they're carrying around something that's flammable and explosive in a back pack," says Holland.