In a case reminiscent of the television series “Breaking Bad,” a St. George couple are due in court next month on charges of making methamphetamine in their mobile home.
Robert Russell and Deanna Russell, both 46, were arrested on Oct. 6 after local and state police, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, executed a search warrant on their Birch Road property.
The Russells face an arraignment Dec. 3, according to Adam Silverman, a spokesperson for the Vermont State Police.
State police said in a statement that the residence was cleared of all hazardous materials, which were disposed of properly with help from the Vermont State Police Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team and Vermont Hazardous Materials Response Team.
According to search warrant records obtained by VTDigger, police first became aware of the potential meth operation in July, when the Russells’ son, Robert Russell Jr., 25, told police he could smell melting plastic over the last month. Russell Jr. believed his parents were making meth in their bedroom. He also told police about an unreported fire two weeks prior to his conversation with officers.
Russell Jr. confronted his parents about making meth and “he was thrown out of the house,” the records say.
After speaking with Russell Jr., state police began to track Robert and Deanna Russell’s purchases of pseudoephedrine.
Pseudoephedrine is one of the main ingredients used to make meth, and is the active ingredient in over-the-counter decongestants and allergy relief medications such as Sudafed.
In 2006, Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which in part, regulated the amount of pseudoephedrine individuals are allowed to purchase and established a national tracking system known as the National Precursor Log Exchange.
Individuals are only allowed to purchase 3.6 grams per day of pseudoephedrine and no more than 9.0 grams in 30 days.
Records show between Feb. 3 and Oct. 2, Deanna Russell attempted 53 purchases of pseudoephedrine-containing medicines at local pharmacies totaling 107.04 grams. Only 31 of those purchases were authorized, a total of 58.56 grams.
Between Feb. 5 and Oct. 2. Robert Russell attempted 47 pseudoephedrine purchases totaling 100.32 grams, records show. Twenty-seven purchases were authorized, a total of 58.8 grams.
A search warrant application by Vermont State Police Detective Sergeant Matthew Hill said it is common practice for individuals to spread out pseudoephedrine purchases over time or ask others to purchase it for them. This process is known as “smurfing.”
On Oct. 4, Vermont State Police Cpl. Andrew Leise responded to a complaint about the home from Rebecca Duchaine, who provided a sworn statement. Court documents do not describe Duchaine’s relationship with the Russell family.
Duchaine told Leise the Russell’s 14-year-old son approached her and asked what meth smells like. The son told Duchaine ammonia-like odors in the home were causing him breathing difficulty and he saw two bottles taped together on a pan in the kitchen. He said the bottles had a white powder in them.
Duchaine also told police she had contacted Deanna Russell’s mother with her concerns about a possible meth lab. Duchaine also said Deanna Russell had asked her to “buy Sudafed for her ‘allergies,’” which she did, two times in September, for a total of 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine.
Lastly, Duchaine said Deanna Russell told her Robert Russell had a “crack pipe” in the bedroom.
Hill wrote a request for a search warrant on Oct. 4, which was approved the same day by Judge Gregory Rainville.
Authorities spent most of the day Oct. 5 clearing the mobile home and documenting what they found. Among other items found were several containers with unknown substances inside, digital scales, pharmacy receipts, plastic bottles, various pieces of drug paraphernalia, empty Sudafed packages and two firearms.
Deputy State’s Attorney Justin Jiron told VTDigger meth lab cases are rare in Vermont. A previous case in Chittenden County occurred in 2012 when Jacob Berino, of Hinesburg, suffered serious injuries when a suspected lab at his home exploded. Four years later, he was ordered to be detained after police found a possible lab in a Shelburne hotel room.
The Russells’ mobile home is part of a larger mobile home community on Route 2A, which recently rebranded as a resident-owned cooperative, called the St. George Community Cooperative.
Robert and Deanna Russell are also facing a civil suit brought against them by the co-op, saying they have missed rent payments over the last few months. A letter from the Russells says they have incurred medical hardships recently and offered to pay forward the next four months of rent.
If convicted of the manufacture of methamphetamines, Robert and Deanna Russell could face up to 20 years in prison, depending on specifics in evidence, per Vermont law.
