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AG Six announces meth charges
ERIE -- Kansas Attorney General Steve Six along with representatives of Southeast Kansas law enforcement agencies were at the Neosho County Sheriff's Office Wednesday to announce a multi-jurisdictional methamphetamine bust.
During a press conference Wednesday, Six and representatives of 13 law enforcement agencies announced the results of a large anti-meth operation conducted over the past eight months which culminated Tuesday with officers executing 10 search warrants. Prosecutors from Six's office filed charges against 20 people from Chanute, Iola, Stark, Thayer, Buffalo, Paola, and Fort Scott with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of the materials to make meth, possession of meth, conspiracy to distribute meth, and other crimes.
"One thing I saw when I was a judge is that meth really ruins lives and destroys families and makes our communities unsafe," Six said.
Fort Scott Police Chief Ron Puterbaugh added, "It will make a big impact on our community. We are very appreciative of what they've done."
Law enforcement believes that the following 17 individuals were obtaining large quantities of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, using it to cook meth and selling that meth in Kansas communities.
The 17 individuals arrested Tuesday and their charges according to Six's office are:
Karl D. Ahrens, 40, of Chanute, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and bond was set at $20,000.
Gary W. Bever, 55, of Chanute, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), one count of possession of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and two counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative two counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Sheila Lynn Bohrer, 34, of Chanute, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), one count of possession of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and one count of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative one count of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Travis Eugene Booe, 27, hometown unknown, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), and two counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative two counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Brandi Nicole Brown, 33, of Stark, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and bond was set at $20,000.
Charles Elmer Bruce, Jr., 26, of Iola, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and one count of possession of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Melanie Laree Bruneau, 53, of Stark, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and bond was set at $20,000.
Deborah Donnelly, 45, of Thayer, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and one count of possession of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Danny Lee Gallagher, 44, hometown unknown, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), four counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative four counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Ryan Terrance Galt, 34, of Chanute, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and one count of possession of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Gary Eugene Green, 34, of Paola, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), eight counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative eight counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Barbara S. Hutson, 46, of Buffalo, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), one count of possession of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, one count of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative one count of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Darin Russell Lansdown, 35, of Iola, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), one count conspiracy to possess methamphetamine, one count distribution of methamphetamine, three counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative three counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance, two counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the possession of methamphetamine or in the alternative two counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to possess methamphetamine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Frank Lynn Miller, 34, of Fort Scott, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, six counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative six counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $100,000.
Jessica Danielle Miller, 32, of Chanute, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), three counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative three counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Bonnie Michelle Padilla, 25, of Chanute, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine), one count of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance or in the alternative one count of the use of communication in a conspiracy to commit the manufacture of a controlled substance, four counts of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the possession of methamphetamine or in the alternative four counts of the use of communication in a conspiracy to possess methamphetamine. Bond was set at $50,000.
According to Six, one additional man was arrested on probable cause and charges are pending. Charges against Duane Eugene Lansdown and Justin Chad Seabolt last week were also part of this anti-meth operation. Additional arrests and charges are expected. According to Puterbaugh, the Fort Scott Police Department is currently looking for Daniel Miller (see sidebar) who has a felony warrant in Neosho County.
Thirteen law enforcement agencies participated in the eight-month multi-jurisdictional operation primarily impacting Neosho, Allen and Bourbon Counties, according to Six. The operation involved the serving of 10 search warrants resulting in the filing of charges against 20 people.
The Attorney General's Office, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and the Neosho County Sheriff's Office, along with the Chanute Police Department, Allen County Sheriff's Office, Iola Police Department, Crawford County Sheriff's Office, Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, Fort Scott Police Department, Paola Police Department, Coffey County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Kansas National Guard Counterdrug Program participated in the operation. Many of these agencies are members of the Southeast Kansas Drug Enforcement Task Force.
"This large meth bust, which started with good police work and was executed because law enforcement agencies worked together, is a perfect example of how beneficial programs like the Kansas Meth Initiative and the Southeast Kansas Drug Taskforce can be to the safety and health of our communities," Six said.
Neosho County Sheriff Jim Keath added, "The team effort of all the agencies in Southeast Kansas was what made this possible."
This past year, Six announced the Kansas Meth Initiative, which provided $1 million additional funding for two prosecutors to be based in Southeast Kansas and support the taskforce as well as training for law enforcement officers on the ground.
"This effort will ensure that as law enforcement does their work and investigate these crimes, we'll have the prosecutors here to go for the tough sentences and to lock these guys away and to get them to prison and get them off our streets," Six said.
Six said the recent KBI shooting, on Jan. 27, of an individual driving a vehicle at law enforcement officers in rural Neosho County as they were attempting to investigate a possible methamphetamine laboratory could be related to this project.
"We saw in the recent events this past week how dangerous fighting drugs can be ... how dangerous people trafficking in meth can be," Six said.
Six later added, "We are continuing to investigate and follow up on that officer involved shooting. As you can see from the charges, the cities involved, the scope of this; we believe that's related to the ongoing project."
Six said these are only allegations and these individuals should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
FSPD Looking for suspect
In conjunction with the recent large meth bust conducted by Southeast Kansas law enforcement agencies, the Fort Scott Police Department is searching for Daniel Miller who currently has a felony warrant for his arrest in Neosho County.
Miller is 22-years-old and lives at 304 Ford St. in Fort Scott. His height is 6-feet, 4-inches and he weighs about 220 pounds.
If seen, contact the FSPD at (620) 223-1700, or the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office at (620) 223-1440.