SALINE CO.— While pulling surveillance on an apartment building in town looking for an escaped suspect, Harrisburg authorities cracked a major meth operation.
On March 25 at 3:05 p.m. Harrisburg officers were dispatched to the 300 block of East Elm after receiving information that Arnold S. Cornett, 26, of Stonefort, who had gotten away from state police the day before, was possibly in the apartment building at that location.
While officers were looking for Cornett, information came in that he and several other individuals, including Brian Stafford, had driven to Marion to purchase pseudoephedrine (PE).
Officers later learned that Patricia Jenkins, Stafford, Cornett and possibly two others were traveling in a maroon vehicle.
Pseudoephedrine purchases
When officers checked the database used to track individuals purchasing precursors, they discovered that Jenkins and Logan Westbrook had purchased PE at the Marion Kroger store 13 minutes apart.
At 4:29 p.m. the maroon vehicle was spotted traveling eastbound on new Rte. 13 near H&H Honda. A license plate check came back to Cindy Wilson of Waukegan.
As the vehicle continued eastbound, Sgt. Michael Riden pulled up alongside and identified Patricia Jenkins in the rear passenger seat and Stafford in the front passenger seat.
The vehicle was stopped on Rt. 13 an eighth of a mile west of Granger Street in Harrisburg.
The driver was identified as Michael Zentz.
Because Stafford was wanted on an outstanding warrant, state trooper Ashley Reeder had him step out of the car and he was placed in handcuffs. Because Cornett could’ve been hidden in the trunk, Riden asked Zentz if anything was in there.
He said Stafford had placed a bag in the trunk earlier and gave permission to search.
Meth lab in the trunk
When the trunk was opened Riden spotted a duffle bag; on one side he noticed a clear jar with a clear liquid in it.
“When I looked in the bag I observed a green plastic bottle with an off-white substance in it, some hose and drain cleaner,” Riden said. “I had dispatch contact the Meth Response Team (MRT).”
During a search of Zentz subsequent to his arrest, officers discovered a white powder substance in a paper towel in one pocket and two plastic bags containing a white powder from his left pocket. Reeder discovered a hypodermic needle shoved down inside the pants in the crotch area.
When Stafford was asked about the bag he said he didn’t know anything about it and said it wasn’t even his.
Patricia Jenkins, who was found to have the PE she had purchased in her purse, also said she knew nothing about the duffle bag.
Two other backseat passengers identified as Betty J. Westbrook and Logan W. Westbrook, said they didn’t know anything about the duffle bag either.
Logan Westbrook was found to be in possession of a package of PE.
When the MRT arrived they located drain cleaner, iodized salt, rubber hose, a funnel, ether and a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
Charges
Patricia Jenkins, 33, unemployed mother of three, of Harrisburg; the unemployed Michael A. Zentz, 30; and Logan Wade Westbrook, 24, of Harrisburg, also unemployed, were all charged with Unlawful Participation in Meth Manufacturing 100-400 grams, Unlawful Possession of Meth Manufacturing Materials and Unlawful Possession of Meth Precursor.
Zentz was additionally charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of a Hypodermic Syringe.
Betty Westbrook, 57, and Brian G. Stafford, 48, both of Harrisburg, were charged with Unlawful Participation in Meth Manufacturing 100-400 grams, and Unlawful Possession of Meth Manufacturing Materials.
All five suspects have had their cash bonds set at $5,000 each.
Cornett was later captured in Evansville, Ind., and faces charges in Saline County of Escape, Theft of Government Property identified as one set of handcuffs, Unlawful Possession of Cannabis and Unlawful Possession of Cannabis. Cash bond in his case has been set at $2,000.