MONROE - Five people, including a mother and son, face charges in Green County Circuit Court in connection to a meth-cooking operation at a vacant house in rural Juda.
The most extensive charges are against Clayton Stewart Welte, 21, who is currently jailed on subsequent bail jumping charges. He faces 12 felony counts related to meth production, including possession of methamphetamine precursors and manufacture and delivery of amphetamine.
His mother, Sarah Christine Teubert, 39, Brodhead, faces four related felony charges.
Both were cited for overbuying an over-the-counter decongestant, a non-criminal offense.
At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Judge James Beer heard testimony from two investigators and ruled there is probable cause to move Welte's and Teubert's cases forward.
Welte and Teubert have three co-defendants, all facing meth-related felony charges.
Caleb Thompson Vazquez, 25, Juda, signed a $20,000 signature bond in May and is seeking to have all charges against him dismissed. An arraignment and hearing on the motion is set for Oct. 24.
Richard D. Hauser, 36, Brodhead, signed a $1,000 signature bond in May. He stood mute Wednesday, and pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf. He has a pre-trial conference Nov. 21.
Jacob Edward Johnson, 37, is incarcerated in the state prison system on meth-possession convictions from 2015. Judge Beer denied Johnson's motion in July to dismiss the current charges. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 30.
Investigation into the case began with a complaint May 18 that people were trespassing in a vacant house on Rufi Lane in the Town of Sylvester.
A responding deputy noted it was "a known drug house that had recently had its tenants evicted."
When they arrived, officers report they found Welte on the premises, twitching and "tweaking" on meth. An investigator at Wednesday's hearing testified that Welte's preferred method for ingesting meth is by needle injection.
Officers report seizing tools and ingredients for cooking meth from the house, including lithium batteries, over-the-counter decongestant (pseudoephedrine), Coleman fuel and ice packs that had been cut open for the ammonium nitrate granules inside.
A Gatorade bottle found on the premises had a white sludge inside that chemically reacted when picked up and "nearly exploded in one of the agent's hands."
A clean-up crew from Chicago was brought in to remove the volatile meth waste at the house, a deputy testified.
At issue in court Wednesday was how well investigators had connected the meth operation at the Rufi Lane house to incidents of "smurfing" at area pharmacies.
"Smurfing" is a term for the coordinated overbuying of pseudoephedrine to accumulate the large quantities needed to cook meth. Meth users often "smurf" in exchange for the drug.
Investigators say they have video and other evidence showing at least three of the co-defendants were overbuying pseudoephedrine, or "smurfing."
But Michael Yang, Teubert's attorney, argued investigators had failed to prove the pseudoephedrine found at the house was purchased by his client. He also said the case was built on too much hearsay.
"How many degrees of hearsay are we going through?" he said, comparing the case to a game of telephone with players who have motivation to give false statements. "The reliability suffers."
Beer dismissed Yang's argument. Regardless of its reliability, hearsay evidence is admissible at preliminary hearings, he said.
Still, Beer said, the five cases "need to be tried separately."
Welte has a pre-trial conference Oct. 24. His mother's pre-trial conference is Nov. 21.
The most extensive charges are against Clayton Stewart Welte, 21, who is currently jailed on subsequent bail jumping charges. He faces 12 felony counts related to meth production, including possession of methamphetamine precursors and manufacture and delivery of amphetamine.
His mother, Sarah Christine Teubert, 39, Brodhead, faces four related felony charges.
Both were cited for overbuying an over-the-counter decongestant, a non-criminal offense.
At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Judge James Beer heard testimony from two investigators and ruled there is probable cause to move Welte's and Teubert's cases forward.
Welte and Teubert have three co-defendants, all facing meth-related felony charges.
Caleb Thompson Vazquez, 25, Juda, signed a $20,000 signature bond in May and is seeking to have all charges against him dismissed. An arraignment and hearing on the motion is set for Oct. 24.
Richard D. Hauser, 36, Brodhead, signed a $1,000 signature bond in May. He stood mute Wednesday, and pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf. He has a pre-trial conference Nov. 21.
Jacob Edward Johnson, 37, is incarcerated in the state prison system on meth-possession convictions from 2015. Judge Beer denied Johnson's motion in July to dismiss the current charges. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 30.
Investigation into the case began with a complaint May 18 that people were trespassing in a vacant house on Rufi Lane in the Town of Sylvester.
A responding deputy noted it was "a known drug house that had recently had its tenants evicted."
When they arrived, officers report they found Welte on the premises, twitching and "tweaking" on meth. An investigator at Wednesday's hearing testified that Welte's preferred method for ingesting meth is by needle injection.
Officers report seizing tools and ingredients for cooking meth from the house, including lithium batteries, over-the-counter decongestant (pseudoephedrine), Coleman fuel and ice packs that had been cut open for the ammonium nitrate granules inside.
A Gatorade bottle found on the premises had a white sludge inside that chemically reacted when picked up and "nearly exploded in one of the agent's hands."
A clean-up crew from Chicago was brought in to remove the volatile meth waste at the house, a deputy testified.
At issue in court Wednesday was how well investigators had connected the meth operation at the Rufi Lane house to incidents of "smurfing" at area pharmacies.
"Smurfing" is a term for the coordinated overbuying of pseudoephedrine to accumulate the large quantities needed to cook meth. Meth users often "smurf" in exchange for the drug.
Investigators say they have video and other evidence showing at least three of the co-defendants were overbuying pseudoephedrine, or "smurfing."
But Michael Yang, Teubert's attorney, argued investigators had failed to prove the pseudoephedrine found at the house was purchased by his client. He also said the case was built on too much hearsay.
"How many degrees of hearsay are we going through?" he said, comparing the case to a game of telephone with players who have motivation to give false statements. "The reliability suffers."
Beer dismissed Yang's argument. Regardless of its reliability, hearsay evidence is admissible at preliminary hearings, he said.
Still, Beer said, the five cases "need to be tried separately."
Welte has a pre-trial conference Oct. 24. His mother's pre-trial conference is Nov. 21.