Crime & Safety
METH BUST: 21 Arrested Bought Pseudoephedrine in Kirkwood
Kirkwood Police Department aided Franklin and Jefferson County Police in the operation. Charges in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Twenty one people were arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of being part of a methamphetamine manufacturing and distributing network operating from 2009 to 2011, reports KMOX St. Louis.
Sergeant Jason Grellner, Franklin County Narcotics Unit, told KMOX the individuals arrested had been discovered to be buying pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth, from Kirkwood drug stores, were a prescription for drugs containing pseudoephedrine is not required. Grellner told KMOX .
“The arrest of these individuals signals our Agency’s continuing commitment to eliminate the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine, a problem which plagues many of our rural counties and poses a serious health risk to both the individual user, as well as our environment," said James Shroba, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA St. Louis Division, in a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Eastern District of Missouri.
If convicted, those arrested could face 5-40 years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. The possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s office.
According to the U.S. District attorney, those arrested are:
- Jerry A. Hendrickson, 27, Franklin County, Mo;
- Jerry M. Walling, 48, Catawissa, Mo;
- Jason S. Sparks, 32, Villa Ridge, Mo;
- Dale M. Harris, 44, Pacific, Mo;
- Ethan M. Lepinski, 47, Pacific, Mo;
- William L. McKinney, 21, Pacific, Mo;
- Elaine M. Scroggs, 23, Pacific, Mo;
- Miranda J. Everhart, 21, Pacific, Mo;
- Aaron A. Lyerla, 33, Arnold, Mo;
- Larry R. Collier, 40, St. Clair, Mo;
- Tammy L. Busch, 41, Pacific, Mo;
- Andrea R. Dowling, 28, Villa Ridge, Mo;
- Michael S. Pich, 32, Villa Ridge, Mo;
- Michelle A. Sizemore, 37, Fenton, Mo;
- Ann L. Matchell, 47, Labadie, Mo;
- Shelly M. Peterman, 42, Villa Ridge, Mo;
- Douglas E. Hughes, 29, Pacific, Mo;
- Amy N. Bueker, 25, Pacific, Mo;
- Sarah A. Matchell, 23, Labadie, Mo;
- Eric E. Lyerla, 37, Pacific, Mo;
- Angela J. Holley, 33, Arnold, Mo.