PORT CARBON - Prosecutors Tuesday withdrew the most serious charges against a Minersville woman after a man arrested with her admitted he was the person making methamphetamine inside her home last month.
Judith Essler, 47, of 311 Laurel St., Minersville, and Corey J. Leininger, 41, of 282 Swopes Valley Road, Pine Grove, were charged with felony offenses of manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of liquefied ammonia gas and operating a methamphetamine laboratory and illegal dumping of methamphetamine waste, as well as a misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
Prosecutors dropped all felony drug charges against Essler and she then waived the remaining possession of drug paraphernalia charge to Schuylkill County Court.
Minersville police Patrolman Jeffrey Bowers, the arresting officer, said he and assistant district attorney Robert Reedy were told by Leininger that he was the person "cooking" the meth.
"He took full responsibility for the cooking operation," Bowers said.
Leininger, represented by court-appointed attorney Mark Barket, waived his right to a hearing and will have to answer all the charges in Schuylkill County Court.
Bowers charged the two after officers executed a warrant at the Essler home about 11:55 p.m. Nov. 5 and found items related to the manufacture of methamphetamine.
The warrant, Bowers said, followed an investigation that began on Oct. 19 when information was received about Essler and others "cooking" methamphetamine in her home.
Bowers said an informant reported Essler had them buy pseudoephedrine for her in the past, for the purpose of making methamphetamine, and that neighbors in the area complained of strong odors coming from the home.
Following up on this information, Patrolman Thomas Hoben retrieved two small black trash bags and one large black trash bag that came from the residence. Searching them, police found about 1,000 matchstick packs with the cardboard covering removed and bits of the match strikers scraped off.
Bowers said matchbook strikers contain red phosphorous, a key ingredient for methamphetamine.
Eight bottles of iodine and an empty plastic Floralife plant fertilizer packet, both also used to make meth, were found in the trash, Bowers said.
The bags also contained an orange pill bottle holding methamphetamine and two milk containers with residue from the manufacture of the drug.
Bowers said among other items found was a receipt from Wal-Mart, Saint Clair, for the purchase of 96 pseudoephedrine pill dated Oct. 15.
With this information and the warrant in hand, Bowers officers went to the home and found a functional and active mobile meth lab inside a large plastic container.
On the front porch of the home police found a container with additional items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Knowing the dangers of the chemicals in the home, a state police Clandestine Lab Response Team was requested and arrived to inventory and safely remove the dangerous chemicals.