| Probable cause affidavit: |
submitted by: SMITH, STEVEN 0292 (AR14-10411) (14-68330) DID UNLAWFULLY AND FELONIOUSLY SELL, MANUFACTURE OR DELIVER OR POSSESS WITH INTENT TO SELL, MANUFACTURE OR DELIVER OR CAUSE TO BE SOLD, MANUFACTURED OR DELIVERED TO ANOTHER PERSON, A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, TO WIT: METHAMPHETAMINE, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 893.13(1)(A)(1); AND DID UNLAWFULLY HAVE IN HIS POSSESSION LISTED PRECURSOR CHEMICALS OR ESSENTIAL CHEMICALS USED IN THE MANUFACTURING OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 893.149(1)(A) THESE CHEMICALS ARE CRITICAL TO THE CREATION OF THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, TO WIT: METHAMPHETAMINE, THE CHEMICAL IN POSSESSION OF HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS. ON 051814, I WAS CONTACTED BY PATROL AND ADVISED THAT THEY HAD CONDUCTED A TRAFFIC STOP ON TWO RETAIL THEFT SUBJECTS IN THE PARKING LOT OF WENDYâS IN INVERNESS. THEY ADVISED UPON GETTING A K-9 ALERT ON THE VEHICLE, THEY DID LOCATE SEVERAL ITEMS THAT THEY BELIEVED WERE BEING UTILIZED TO MANUFACTURE METHAMPHETAMINE. THE ITEMS THEY LOCATED WERE LITHIUM BATTERIES, A CAN OF ETHER, AND A COLD PACK. AT THAT TIME, DEPUTY PARSONS AND I RESPONDED TO THE SCENE. UPON ARRIVAL, I WAS ADVISED THAT DEFENDANT FOWLER HAD SEVERAL OUTSTANDING PASCO COUNTY WARRANTS AND THAT DEFENDANT SIMS, WHO WAS OPERATING THE VEHICLE, HAD A SUSPENDED DRIVER'S LICENSE. AT THAT TIME, I MADE CONTACT WITH DEFENDANT SIMS. SHE WAS VERY COOPERATIVE AND STATED SHE WAS WILLING TO ASSIST IN ANY WAY THAT SHE COULD. SHE WAS READ MIRANDA FROM A PREPRINTED CARD. WHEN ASKED IF SHE UNDERSTOOD HER RIGHTS SHE ADVISED SHE DID. WHEN ASKED IF SHE STILL WANTED TO SPEAK WITH ME, SHE ADVISED SHE DID. DURING THIS INTERVIEW, SHE OPENLY ADMITTED TO DRIVING THE PICKUP TO THE LOCATION OF WENDYâS WHERE THE TRAFFIC STOP WAS CONDUCTED. SHE ALSO OPENLY ADMITTED HER DRIVER'S LICENSE WAS SUSPENDED. AT THAT TIME, SHE ADVISED THAT HER BOYFRIEND, DEFENDANT FOWLER, USES THE ITEMS INSIDE THE VEHICLE TO MANUFACTURE METHAMPHETAMINE AND THAT HE MANUFACTURES METHAMPHETAMINE AT HER GRANDPARENTSâ RESIDENCE LOCATED AT WALTON DRIVE IN FLORAL CITY. SHE FURTHER ADVISED THAT SHE HAS BEEN AN ADDICT FOR A LONG TIME AND THAT SHE WAS ADDICTED TO PILLS BUT RECENTLY SWITCHED TO METHAMPHETAMINE. SHE DID SHOW ME SEVERAL FRESH PUNCTURE WOUNDS ON HER ARM. SHE TOLD ME SHE DOES NOT LIKE SHOOTING UP THE METHAMPHETAMINE, THAT SHE PREFERRED SNORTING HER PILLS. SHE ALSO ADMITTED THAT SHE WOULD BE MAXED OUT ON HER SUDAFED PURCHASES AND SHE PURCHASED THE SUDAFED FOR HER BOYFRIEND, DEFENDANT FOWLER. SHE TOLD ME SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO SHOW ME THE AREAS WHERE DEFENDANT FOWLER COOKS. WHEN ASKED WHAT WOULD BE AT THE RESIDENCE, SHE ADVISED SHE THOUGHT JUST THE ACID BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE FOR THE MOST PART WAS IN THE TRUCK. UPON COMPLETION OF THIS INTERVIEW, I THEN CONDUCTED A DIGITALLY RECORDED INTERVIEW WITH DEFENDANT FOWLER. HE ALSO WAS VERY COOPERATIVE. HE WAS READ MIRANDA FROM A PREPRINTED CARD. WHEN ASKED IF HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS HE ADVISED HE DID. WHEN ASKED IF HE WANTED TO SPEAK WITH ME, HE ADVISED HE DID. HE DID OPENLY ADMIT TO MANUFACTURING METHAMPHETAMINE; HOWEVER, HE STATED THAT HE WAS NOT COOKING THE METHAMPHETAMINE AT THE RESIDENCE LOCATED AT WALTON DRIVE BUT IN A WOODED AREA DOWN THE ROAD. WHEN HE WAS ASKED WHAT WOULD BE AT THE RESIDENCE, HE ALSO STATED JUST THE ACID. HE ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE ITEMS LOCATED IN THE VEHICLE WERE ITEMS USED TO MANUFACTURE METHAMPHETAMINE AND HE ALSO AGREED TO ACCOMPANY US TO THE WALTON ADDRESS AND GAVE US PERMISSION TO CHECK THE RESIDENCE. THE ITEMS USED TO MANUFACTURE METHAMPHETAMINE THAT WERE IN THE VEHICLE WERE COLLECTED AND LATER TURNED IN FOR DESTRUCTION. AT THAT TIME, BOTH DEFENDANTS WERE TRANSPORTED BY A MARKED UNIT TO THE WALTON ADDRESS. UPON ARRIVAL, I MADE CONTACT WITH THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY, DEFENDANT SIMSâ GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER. THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL AND BOTH OPENLY ADMITTED THAT APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS AGO THEY LOCATED SEVERAL BOTTLES CONTAINING A SUBSTANCE. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH, THEY BELIEVED THAT THESE BOTTLES WERE USED IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. FEARING THEY WOULD GET THEIR GRANDDAUGHTER IN TROUBLE, THEY OPENLY ADMITTED TO BURYING THE BOTTLES IN THE YARD. A DIGITALLY RECORDED INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED WITH ALL PARTIES, INCLUDING THE TWO DEFENDANTS, IN WHICH LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO SEARCH THE YARD. AT THAT TIME, THE GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER WALKED US TO AN AREA WHERE THEY ADVISED THEY HAD BURIED ONE OF THE BOTTLES. UPON TAKING A SHOVEL, I LOCATED A ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOK. AT THAT TIME, A THOROUGH SEARCH OF THE SHEDS AND YARD WERE CONDUCTED AND THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WERE LOCATED: TWO MORE ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOKS SEVERAL HCL GENERATORS COFFEE FILTERS AND NAPKINS USED WITH MANUFACTURING METHAMPHETAMINE CUT LITHIUM BATTERY CASINGS TWO CANS OF DRAINO A CONTAINER OF ACID MULTIPLE PACKAGES OF AMMONIA NITRATE FROM COLD PACKS EMPTY PACKAGES OF COLD PACKS EMPTY FUEL CONTAINERS PIECES OF TUBING BLISTER PACKS AND TWO EMPTY BOXES OF EPHEDRINE ALL THESE ITEMS WERE PHOTOGRAPHED AND COLLECTED. AT THAT TIME, I MADE CONTACT WITH DEFENDANT FOWLER WHO WALKED ME TO A SECTION OF WOODS LOCATED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF TRAILS END ROAD AND WALTON DRIVE. UPON WALKING APPROXIMATELY 50 YARDS INTO THE WOODS DOWN A TRAIL, DEFENDANT FOWLER SHOWED ME A LOCATION WHERE HE SAYS HE MANUFACTURES. IT SHOULD BE NOTED IN THIS AREA THERE WERE BLISTER PACKS FROM EPHEDRINE, CUT LITHIUM BATTERY CASINGS AND TRASH FROM COLD PACKS THAT HAD BEEN OPENED. THESE ITEMS WERE ALSO PHOTOGRAPHED AND LATER COLLECTED FOR DESTRUCTION. UPON ARRIVING BACK AT THE RESIDENCE AND SHOWING DEFENDANT FOWLER THE MANUFACTURING ITEMS THAT WERE COLLECTED, HE DID ADMIT TO MOST OF THE ITEMS; HOWEVER, HE DID STATE THAT SOME OF THE ITEMS HE DID NOT BELIEVE WERE HIS. HE DID OPENLY ADMIT TO SEVERAL OF THE ONE POT COOKS, THE ACID, THE COLD PACKS, AND THE GAS GENERATORS. HE ADVISED THE ITEMS THAT WERE LOCATED AT THE ADDRESS WERE OLD, PRIOR TO THE GRANDPARENTS LOCATING THE BOTTLES. HE ADVISED SINCE THEY HAD LOCATED THE BOTTLES, HE PROMISED THEM HE WOULD NEVER MANUFACTURE AGAIN AND THAT WHEN HE DID MANUFACTURE, HE DID NOT DO IT ON THEIR PROPERTY. UPON CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS WITH BOTH OF THE GRANDPARENTS, BOTH GRANDPARENTS DID ADMIT THAT DEFENDANT SIMS ASKED THEM TO PURCHASE EPHEDRINE. THE GRANDMOTHER ADVISED SHE PURCHASED EPHEDRINE FOR DEFENDANT SIMS APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS AGO. THE GRANDFATHER ADMITTED TO BUYING TWO BOXES FOR DEFENDANT SIMS APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS AGO. DEFENDANT SIMS TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS FOR HER COLD. BOTH DEFENDANTS WERE ARRESTED, HANDCUFFED (DOUBLE LOCKED) AND SECURED IN SEPARATE PATROL VEHICLES AND TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY. DEFENDANT FOWLERâS BOND WAS SET AT A TOTAL OF $150,000.00 AND DEFENDANT SIMSâS BOND WAS SET AT A TOTAL OF $50,500.00. ALL HAZARDOUS MATERIAL WAS PROCESSED AND LATER TURNED IN TO THE CITRUS COUNT METHAMPHETAMINE CONTAINER UNIT FOR DESTRUCTION. |
