Police: Meth lab used 'shake & bake' method
Butler police swept up seven suspects — three of them siblings — during a Tuesday afternoon raid of a suspected drug apartment at 309 W. Cunningham St.
The operation, authorities said, took down a suspected methamphetamine lab at the home in front of the Salvation Army and a stone's throw away from the district judge office and Butler County Prison.
City officers, aided by Butler Township police and the state police clandestine lab team, seized potentially dangerous and hazardous materials used to cook methamphetamine.
Also confiscated was suspected meth, heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana, as well as other contraband including more than 100 syringes and a scale.
Arrested were Sarah R. Post, 41, and Christopher R. Bedner, 51, who both live at the home; Jonah Post, 34, and Jesse J. Post, 37, both of Waterford, Erie County; and Thomas J. Clark, 25, of Butler.
Sara Post is the sister of Jonah and Jesse Post.
All five defendants are charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, risking a catastrophe, all felonies, and possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.
All but Jonah Post are in the county jail on $100,000 bail each. District Judge William Fullerton denied him bail out of concern that he might not appear for his next court date.
Also arrested in the raid were Coleen M. Boley, 53, of Butler and Sarah Kaye Gamble, 26, no address given, who both are charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
Police said they believe Boley and Gamble were at the apartment to do drugs.
A reported fight Tuesday morning at the house, which is divided into apartments, precipitated the raid, police Sgt. Ben Spangler, the investigating officer, said in his affidavit.
Officers spoke to the apparent victim, who recounted being jumped and robbed of his cell phone. But the man also provided “inside” information about apartment No. 3. He said he knew narcotics were being used there.Police were already familiar with the apartment, where, they say, there have been “numerous overdoses” in the past several months.The witness told officers that he had also seen occupants making meth, according to court documents, using the “shake and bake” method.The practice, also known as “one-pot” cooking, manufactures methamphetamine in one vessel, typically a 2-liter soda bottle or plastic Gatorade bottle.Cooks mix a number of potentially harmful chemicals together in the bottle and monitor it as the substances react. The by-products of meth labs can contaminate their surroundings with toxic fumes and highly explosive chemical compounds.Common recipe ingredients include lithium, which is stripped from batteries; ammonia nitrate, which comes from cold packs; Coleman fuel; sodium hydroxide; pseudoephedrine, a decongestant; and water.The witness told police he had seen “batteries, bottles and other chemicals” in the apartment, documents said.Police noted that an informant within the past month had shared with them similar information. The informant related that a woman he knew as “Sarah” was “making meth and selling meth and heroin” from the apartment.A review of the National Precursor Log Exchange, documents said, revealed that Jonah Post, Bedner and Clark had recently purchased large quantities of pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient used to produce meth,The evidence, police said, was enough to secure the search warrant.The Butler County Assessment Office lists Gregory Bogacki of Butler Township as the owner of 309 W. Cunningham St.
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