| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: SMITH, STEVE 0292 (AR14-9118) DID SELL, MANUFACTURE, DELIVER, OR POSSESS WITH INTENT TO SELL, MANUFACTURE, OR DELIVER, A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE IN A STRUCTURE OR CONVEYANCE WHERE ANY CHILD UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE IS PRESENT, TO WIT: 14 YEAR OLD CHILD PRESENT, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA'S STATE STATUTE 893.13(1)(G)(1). ON 021514, I WAS CONTACTED BY DEPUTY LAHERA AND ADVISED THAT HE WAS IN THE AREA OF STOKES FERRY ROAD IN THE ARROWHEAD AREA OF HERNANDO, INVESTIGATING DEFENDANT ONE, MR DANIEL CORDELL, IN REFERENCE TO SEVERAL BURGLARIES. DEFENDANT CORDELL ALSO HAD SEVERAL ACTIVE WARRANTS OUT OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA. HE FURTHER ADVISED THAT DURING THIS INVESTIGATION, HE MADE CONTACT WITH DEFENDANT TWO, MS BECKY JEAN MOULTON. DURING HIS INTERVIEW WITH DEFENDANT MOULTON, SHE ADVISED HIM THAT SHE AND DEFENDANT CORDELL HAD STASHED A BOOK BAG CONTAINING A METHAMPHETAMINE COOK BEHIND THE MAILBOXES LOCATED ON STOKES FERRY ROAD, WHERE THE ROAD TURNS FROM PAVEMENT TO DIRT. DEFENDANT MOULTON AGREED TO RIDE WITH DEPUTY LAHERA AND SHOW HIM WHERE IT WAS. UPON ARRIVAL, DEPUTY LAHERA OBSERVED A PINK AND black BOOK BAG. UPON OPENING IT, HE OBSERVED ITEMS RELATED TO MANUFACTURING METHAMPHETAMINE, TO INCLUDE A ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOK. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT HE CONTACTED ME. UPON MY ARRIVAL, I WAS ADVISED THAT DEFENDANT CORDELL WAS STILL AT LARGE AND SEVERAL OTHER UNITS WERE ATTEMPTING TO TRACK HIM DOWN. I LOOKED INSIDE THE BOOK BAG AND OBSERVED A ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOK. AT THIS TIME, I CONTACTED HAZMAT AND HAD THEM RESPOND TO THE SCENE. UPON THEIR ARRIVAL, I REMOVED THE ITEMS FROM THE BOOK BAG. THESE ITEMS WERE AS FOLLOWS: A ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOK A GREEN COLEMAN PROPANE TANK SEVERAL COFFEE FILTERS A SPARK PLUG TWO ZIPLOC PLASTIC BAGGIES A UTILITY KNIFE. THE âONE POTâ WAS TESTED BY ME AND FIELD TESTED POSITIVE FOR METHAMPHETAMINE. A piece OF FILTER WHICH WAS LOCATED IN THE âONE POTâ WAS COLLECTED AND WILL BE TURNED INTO EVIDENCE. ONE OF THE TWO ZIPLOC BAGGIES STILL HAD RESIDUE IN IT, WHICH TESTED POSITIVE FOR METHAMPHETAMINE. THIS ZIPLOC BAGGIE WILL ALSO BE TURNED INTO EVIDENCE. PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN OF ALL OF THE ITEMS. THEY WILL ALL BE PROCESSED FOR PRINTS. ALL ITEMS DEEMED HAZARDOUS WILL BE TURNED INTO THE CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE CONTAINER UNIT FOR DESTRUCTION. AT THIS TIME, AN INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED WITH DEFENDANT MOULTON. I READ DEFENDANT MOULTON HER MIRANDA RIGHTS VIA PREPRINTED AGENCY CARD AND ASKED IF SHE UNDERSTOOD HER RIGHTS, TO WHICH SHE REPLIED THAT SHE DID. I THEN ASKED HER IF SHE WISHED TO SPEAK WITH ME AT THIS TIME, TO WHICH SHE ADVISED THAT SHE WOULD. AT THIS TIME, SHE ADVISED THAT TODAY SHE AND DEFENDANT CORDELL WERE RIDING IN A VEHICLE AND OBSERVED LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE AREA AND THEY GOT SCARED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE. AT THAT TIME, DEFENDANT CORDELL HID THE BOOK BAG BEHIND THE MAILBOXES ON STOKES FERRY ROAD. SHE FURTHER ADVISED THAT SHE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN USING METHAMPHETAMINE FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND DEFENDANT CORDELL WAS COOKING IN ALABAMA BEFORE THEY MOVED TO FLORIDA. ONCE THEY MOVED TO FLORIDA, THEY WERE TRYING TO GET CLEAN, HOWEVER THEY BEGAN USING AGAIN AND BEGAN MANUFACTURING. SHE OPENLY ADMITTED TO PURCHASING BOXES OF EPHEDRINE FOR THESE COOKS. SHE ALSO ADMITTED TO HELPING WITH THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS TO INCLUDE, HOLDING CONTAINERS AND CLEANING UP AFTER THE METHAMPHETAMINE MANUFACTURING WAS DONE. SHE ADVISED THAT HER PRINTS WOULD BE ON SOME OF THE ITEMS IN THE BAG. WHEN ASKED IF THEY MANUFACTURED AT THEIR RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 6400 EAST INDIAN OAKS COURT, SHE ADVISED THAT THEY HAD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT DEFENDANT CORDELL WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY OTHER SHERIFFâS OFFICE PERSONNEL AND RETURNED TO OUR LOCATION ON STOKES FERRY ROAD. AT THIS TIME, I CONCLUDED THE INTERVIEW WITH DEFENDANT MOULTON. I THEN CONDUCTED A DIGITALLY RECORDED INTERVIEW WITH DEFENDANT CORDELL. I READ DEFENDANT CORDELL HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS VIA PREPRINTED AGENCY CARD AND ASKED IF HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS, TO WHICH HE REPLIED THAT HE DID. I THEN ASKED HIM IF HE WISHED TO SPEAK WITH ME AT THIS TIME, TO WHICH HE ADVISED THAT HE WOULD. DEFENDANT CORDELL CONFESSED TO MANUFACTURING METHAMPHETAMINE. HE ALSO ADMITTED THAT HIS PRINTS WOULD BE ON THE ITEMS INSIDE THE BAG. WHEN ASKED IF HE MANUFACTURED AT THEIR RESIDENCE, HE ALSO ADVISED THAT THEY HAD, JUST LIKE DEFENDANT MOULTON. HE TOLD ME THAT WE COULD RESPOND TO HIS ADDRESS AND SEARCH, BUT WE WOULD NOT FIND ANY CHEMICALS. HE DID ADVISE THAT WE WOULD FIND SOME MANUFACTURING GARBAGE IN THE BURN PILE, DUE TO THAT BEING WHERE THEY DISPOSED OF IT. AT THIS TIME, WE RESPONDED TO 6400 EAST INDIAN OAKS COURT. UPON ARRIVAL CONSENT WAS VERIFIED AGAIN. THERE WERE NO ITEMS FOUND INSIDE OF THE RESIDENCE; HOWEVER IN THE BURN PILE WE LOCATED SEVERAL BROKEN METHAMPHETAMINE PIPES, EMPTY LITHIUM BATTERY CASINGS AND ONE COFFEE FILTER WHICH HAD BEEN USED IN A METHAMPHETAMINE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. ALSO LOCATED TO THE RIGHT OF THE RESIDENCE NEAR THE FENCE LINE WAS A HCL GENERATOR, WHICH IS A BOTTLE THAT SALT AND ACID HAD BEEN ADDED TO, TO CREATE HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS. THIS GAS IS AN ESSENTIAL CHEMICAL USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF METHAMPHETAMINE. DURING THE TIME AT THE RESIDENCE, SEVERAL ADDITIONAL DIGITAL INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH THE DEFENDANTS. DURING ONE OF THESE INTERVIEWS, DEFENDANT MOULTON WALKED ME THROUGH THE RESIDENCE AND SHOWED ME WHERE âLABORATORYâ ITEMS ARE NORMALLY KEPT. SHE SHOWED ME A TABLE IN THE KITCHEN, WHERE A CAN OF COLEMAN GAS WAS NORMALLY HIDDEN UNDER, BUT IT WAS NOT THERE. SHE SHOWED ME A SPOT IN THE BATHROOM BEHIND THE TOILET, WHERE SHE ADVISED THAT COFFEE FILTERS ARE NORMALLY HID. SHE ALSO ADVISED THAT NORMALLY THE FILTERS THAT HAD BEEN USED IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS WERE PLACED TO DRY ON TOP OF THE REFRIGERATOR IN THE KITCHEN. DURING THE INTERVIEWS, BOTH OF THE DEFENDANTS ADMITTED TO PARTICIPATING IN METHAMPHETAMINE MANUFACTURING AT THE RESIDENCE, WHILE THEIR 14 YEAR OLD CHILD WAS PRESENT. I ALSO CONDUCTED A DIGITALLY TAPED INTERVIEW WITH THE 14 YEAR OLD JUVENILE, WHO ADVISED THAT DEFENDANT CORDELL ON AT LEAST ONE OCCASION PURCHASED METHAMPHETAMINE WHILE THE JUVENILE WAS IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN HE ASKED DEFENDANT CORDELL WHAT IT WAS, DEFENDANT CORDELL TOLD HIM âICEâ. THE JUVENILE TOLD ME THAT AFTER DEFENDANT CORDELL BOUGHT IT, DEFENDANT CORDELL SMOKED SOME OF IT IN THE VEHICLE ON THE WAY HOME, WHILE THE JUVENILE WAS PRESENT. THE JUVENILE WENT ON TO TELL ME HOW HE CAME OUT OF HIS ROOM ON ONE OCCASION AND THE DEFENDANTS HAD A PYREX PLATE IN THE KITCHEN HEATING IT UP. HE ALSO ADVISED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS HE SAW THE DEFENDANTS SHAKING A BOTTLE, WHICH HAD A WHITE SOLID SUBSTANCE IN THE BOTTOM WITH BLACK FLOATING PIECES. THIS IS THE EXACT DESCRIPTION OF A ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOK. WHEN THE DEFENDANTS WERE INTERVIEWED AGAIN, THEY BOTH CONFIRMED THE MANUFACTURING ALLEGATIONS. THE ITEMS FROM THE BURN PILE AND THE HCL GENERATOR WERE COLLECTED BY ME AND LATER TURNED INTO THE CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE CONTAINER UNIT FOR DESTRUCTION. THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY WAS CONTACTED AND RESPONDED TO THE SCENE FOR PLACEMENT OF THE 14 YEAR OLD. BOTH DEFENDANTS WERE PLACED UNDER ARREST, HANDCUFFED, (DOUBLE LOCKED), BEHIND THEIR BACK, SECURED IN THE REAR SEPARATE PATROL VEHICLES AND TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY FOR BOOKING AND PROCESSING. DEFENDANT MOULTON WAS CHARGED WITH ONE COUNT OF MANUFACTURING METHAMPHETAMINE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CHILD, WITH A BOND OF $150,000.00, PER THE BOND SCHEDULE. |
