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Federal authorities took two Frederick residents into custody Friday morning on charges related to operating a methamphetamine lab in a house on Crossover Court following an early morning raid.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Toby Thomas, 34, who lived in the house, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after law enforcement officials searched the residence and seized items used to produce the drug.
Rose Johnson, 31, also lived in the house and faces the same charge, but federal authorities said they were still looking for her Friday afternoon.
They both face five to 40 year in prison and $2 million in fines, according to Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.
Law enforcement officials raided the house before 6 a.m. Friday.
Police officers wearing gas masks were seen entering and leaving the home, and at least four marked Frederick Police cruisers and another six unmarked police vehicles choked neighborhood streets.
A police dog was brought to the scene to check at least one automobile parked outside the residence, and a fold-up table and metal folding chairs were set up on the sidewalk in front of the home. An officer sat before a laptop and printer. Officers wearing air filtration masks could be seen working in the garage next to a children's wading pool.
A pumper truck and ambulance from Independent Hose Co. and two other fire vehicles were parked nearby, and a large white pickup with a large white trailer from "Advanced Environmental Options" from Gaffney and Spartansburg, S.C., arrived about 6:45 a.m.
A young girl was escorted from the house to an ambulance about 6:30 a.m. It left 20 to 30 minutes later. All fire equipment left the area by 7:20 a.m.
The discovery of methamphetamine labs is rare in Maryland; there were zero found in 2007, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, and only eight between 2003 and 2006.
"The production of methamphetamine is highly volatile and hazardous," Rosenstein said in a statement. "We are working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe from this highly addictive illegal drug."
According to the statement, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration received information that Thomas had been ordering and receiving materials consistent with the production of methamphetamine.
According to the statement, agents conducting surveillance on the house in July and August found many items used to manufacture the drug in a trash can in front of the home: plastic cups containing a clear crystal-like substance, a laboratory beaker, a reddish-brown liquid consistent with the color of iodine, a syringe plunger, an empty can of paint thinner, an empty bottle of hydrogen peroxide, receipts for the purchase of over-the-counter drugs containing pseudoephedrine, and more.
Thomas was expected to have his initial appearance in federal court Friday afternoon, and "the government is seeking his detention," according to the Department of Justice statement.
The investigation was a result of collaboration between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maryland State Police, the Frederick Police Department and the Frederick County Sherriff's Office.
Staff Writer Douglas Tallman contributed to this report.
