Man Gets 17 Years in Jail for Meth Lab Explosion Near Wentzville

Kyle Green, one of two men responsible for causing a meth lab explosion near Wentzville, was handed a 17-year prison sentence on Wednesday.

One of the two men deemed responsible for a meth lab explosion near Wentzville in September 2012 was sentenced to 17 years in prison, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Kyle W. Green, 24, was given the jail time after he pleaded guilty to making methamphetamine and first-degree arson. Green, along with an unidentified woman, had been living at the home of Dale Lenze, 53, in the 2400 block of Branch Lane in St. Charles County, just southwest of Wentzville.  In exchange for the living space,  Lenze received a portion of the meth made, he told police.  In September, Lenze told St. Charles County Drug Task Force detectives that Green told him a one-pot meth lab “went bad” during the meth-making process and exploded, severely burning the …

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Police: Meth Shopping Spree Catches Drug Task Force Attention

Jonathan Bacott was charged with attempting to make methamphetamine after buying several meth-related items at a Wentzville store.

Detectives searched a man’s car after he and another man bought several items used to make methamphetamine at a Wentzville store. Jonathan Bacott, 28, was charged Tuesday with attempting to make methamphetamine. Bacott’s last known address is in the 800 block of Larkspur Lane in O’Fallon. The second man has not been charged. St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force detectives said they received a report that Bacott and another man bought a variety of items used to make meth at the Wentzville Schnuck’s store, 1960 Wentzville Parkway. Detectives said they recognized Bacott’s name and address from other ongoing meth investigations. After searching Bacott, detectives said they found a baggie with marijuana and a pen shaft with white powder …

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Drug Task Force Nabs Man in Wentzville Buying Cold Meds to Make Meth, Police Say

Ricky Coppedge had 83.62 grams of pseudoephedrine hidden under his car hood and 13 grams of meth hidden in his dashboard, according to a court document.

A Greenville, MO man was arrested Feb. 28 in an ongoing investigation into buying pseudoephedrine for methamphetamine production. Ricky Coppedge, 32, of Greenville, MO was charged March 31 by the St. Charles County Prosecutor’s Office with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to make meth. St. Charles County Drug Task Force detectives said they stopped Coppedge in the 1300 block of Forest Way in Wentzville as he was buying pseudoephedrine from a third party for $100. Officers also found a knotted plastic bag in his pocket that contained one gram of meth. Officers also said they found 116 blister packs containing 83.52 grams of pseudoehedrine hidden underneath the hood of his …

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Man Indicted by Grand Jury on Assaulting Officer, Making Meth Charges

Thomas Rockenstein pulled a knife on officers during a search of his residence. After being disarmed, he told officers, "I wish you would have killed me."

A man was indicted by a St. Charles County grand jury Feb. 15 on several charges related to a Jan. 29 Drug Task Force search of his mother’s home. Thomas Rockenstein, 55, of the 1400 block of Prospect Lakes Drive near Wentzville, faces charges of assaulting an officer, manufacturing a controlled substance, possessing a controlled substance and possessing drug-related items. St. Charles County Sheriff’s deputies were asked to check on the welfare of Rockenstein’s elderly mother Jan. 29. When they arrived, they found several items used to make methamphetamine in the home. Deputies notified the St. Charles County Drug Task Force, which sent detectives to search the home. Rockenstein, 55, pleaded guilty to several drug charges in April 2009. …

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Man Pulled Knife on Detectives, Deputies During Drug Search, Officers Say

After being taken in custody, Thomas Rockenstein told officials, "I wish you would have killed me."

A St. Charles County man, who is on probation for 2009 drug charges, pulled a knife on detectives and St. Charles County Sheriff’s deputies outside a home Jan. 29. After officers disarmed Thomas J. Rockenstein, he said, “I wish you would have killed me. I’m going to jail forever.” Rockenstein, 55, pleaded guilty to several drug charges in April 2009. He received a 15-year sentence, but the sentence was suspended and Rockenstein was placed on five years probation. St. Charles County Sheriff's Department officials say they had been requested to check on the welfare of Rockenstein’s elderly mother at her home in the 1400 block of Prospect Lakes Drive near Wentzville. When a deputy entered the home, he saw numerous items used to make …

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Couple Busted For Selling Fake Meth to Undercover Officer, Police Say

The man prepared sugar to look like methamphetamine to sell to the Drug Task Force detective.

A Wentzville couple sold a fake methamphetamine mixture made of sugar to an undercover officer Nov. 26, according to a St. Charles County Drug Task Force report. James W. Martin, 25, of the 1200 block of Continental Drive in Wentzville, was charged Nov. 29 with two counts of delivery or manufacture of a fake controlled substance. Heather Villarreal, 39, also of the 1200 block of Continental Drive, faces one count of the same charge. A Drug Task Force member said Martin prepared sugar to look like methamphetamine and gave a bag to Villarreal to sell to the undercover detective for $50 at their residence on Nov. 26. Later the same day, Martin sold another bag of the fake meth to the officer for $100 at 1131 West Pearce Blvd. The detectives …

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Mother-Daughter-Boyfriend Trio Trade Meth to Undercover Officer, Police Say

Drug Task Force detectives said they were going to trade pseudoephedrine tablets from the transaction in Wentzville for more finished meth.

A trio consisting of a mother, daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend were arrested on drug charges after selling fake methamphetamine and real meth to an undercover officer in Wentzville Sept. 17 and Sept. 19. The mother and daughter were charged Sept. 20 with delivery or manufacture of an imitation controlled substance, distributing a controlled substance, and possessing chemicals with intent to produce a controlled substance: The boyfriend, Jordan Hase, 24, of Warrenton, was charged with distributing a controlled substance, and possessing chemicals with intent to produce a controlled substance and possessing drug paraphernalia with intent to sell or deliver. St. Charles County Drug Task Force detectives said that Johnston drove Peroutka …

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Wentzville Man Arrested on Meth Charges in O'Fallon

Drug Task Force detectives said they smelled the chemical odor of meth as they drove by the home.

Three people, including a Wentzville man, were charged Thursday with making and possessing methamphetamine in O’Fallon after authorities received a tip about a meth lab. Charged with making and possessing methamphetamine were: Acting on a tip, St. Charles County Drug Task Force members went to a mobile home July 10 on Thoroughbred Drive in O’Fallon and saw two men leave the house and get in a pickup truck. As detectives drove past the house, they smelled a strong chemical odor from cooking meth, according to a task force report. Detectives arranged to have the truck stopped by St. Charles County deputies while detectives checked out the house. Inside the home, they found Hopkins and a fully functioning meth lab in the kitchen, two grams of…

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Wake Up Wentzville

Wake Up Wentzville: Nov. 2 Edition

All the news you need for Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Good morning Wentzville! Welcome to the column that will help you get through the day. Every Monday through Friday, we'll tell you what's going on around town, what you need to know and where the traffic snags might be. Have a suggestion to make Wentzville Patch more helpful? Leave a comment or drop me an email at maggie.rotermund@patch.com. Do you use social media? Check us out on Facebook and Twitter. 

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Meth Ingredient Sales Spike in St. Louis County Cities Near St. Charles County

After prescriptions are required for pseudoephedrine products in St. Charles County, the allergy medication sales jumped significantly in Bridgeton, Maryland Heights and Chesterfield.

Sales of pseudoephedrine in St. Louis County cities bordering St. Charles County spiked in September after St. Charles County banned over-the-counter sales, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article. Sales were especially high in cities near bridges connecting St. Charles and St. Louis counties. In Bridgeton, sales in September jumped 81 percent over August. In Maryland Heights, they increased 59 percent, while in Chesterfield they increased 51 percent. The Post-Dispatch reported that industry representatives attributed the increase to allergy sufferers in St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin Counties. A registered nurse noted allergies flare up in the fall when weather changes, during ragweed and pollen season. “I don’t know if I’d …

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