| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: SMITH, STEVE 0292 (AR13-7520) 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 WITH CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 16 PRESENT, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 893.13(1)(G)(1). DID UNLAWFULLY HAVE IN HIS POSSESSION LISTED PRECURSOR CHEMICALS OR ESSENTIAL CHEMICALS USED IN THE MANUFACTURING OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE THESE CHEMICALS ARE CRITICAL TO THE CREATION OF THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, TO WIT: EPHEDRINE AND HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 893.149(1)(A). DID UNLAWFULLY HAVE IN HIS ACTUAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE POSSESSION WITH THE INTENT TO USE, OR DID UNLAWFULLY USE, AN OBJECT INTENDED OR DESIGNED FOR USE IN STORING, CONCEALING OR INJECTING, INGESTING, INHALING OR OTHERWISE INTRODUCING INTO THE HUMAN BODY, A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, TO WIT: SYRINGES, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTES 893.147(1). ON 100313, I WAS CONTACTED BY DEPUTY CAREY (0753) THAT HE WAS PRESENT AT 720 SOUTH FAIRLANE TERRACE, LECANTO, IN REFERENCE TO A STOLEN VEHICLE. HE ADVISED ME THAT THERE WAS A BURN PILE LOCATED IN THE FRONT YARD, WHICH CONTAINED BINDER FROM METHAMPHETAMINE (METH) ONE POT COOKS AND CUT LITHIUM BATTERY CASINGS. HE ALSO ADVISED THAT HIS SUSPECT HAD FLED THE AREA BEFORE HIS ARRIVAL. AT THAT TIME DEPUTY PARSONS AND I RESPONDED TO THE SCENE. UPON MAKING CONTACT WITH THE HOMEOWNER/SUSPECTâS MOTHER, SHE ADVISED THAT SHE DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE METHAMPHETAMINE MANUFACTURING, HOWEVER THE NEIGHBORS LIVING NEXT DOOR AT 678 FAIRLANE TERRACE, âHANG OUTâ WITH HER SON/SUSPECT ON A FREQUENT BASIS. AT THAT TIME, DEPUTY CAREY AND I, RESPONDED TO 678 FAIRLANE TERRACE, WHERE WE MADE CONTACT WITH DEFENDANT ONE, MR THEODORE BENFIELD, ALONG WITH DEFENDANT TWO, MS LESLE BENFIELD. THE DEFENDANTS WERE ASKED IF THE SUSPECT WAS PRESENT AND THEY ADVISED THAT HE WAS NOT. UPON SPEAKING WITH DEFENDANT MR THEODORE BENFIELD, I OBSERVED INJECTION SPOTS ON HIS ARMS AS WELL AS SORES ON HIS BODY COMMON FROM THE USE OF METHAMPHETAMINE. I ASKED BOTH DEFENDANTS IF THE SUSPECT HAD LEFT ANY MANUFACTURING ITEMS AT THE RESIDENCE, THEY BECAME VERY NERVOUS AND HESITANT, BUT DID STATE THAT THE SUSPECT HAD LEFT SEVERAL ONE POT METH COOKS IN A REAR BEDROOM. AT THIS TIME, A VERBAL CONSENT WAS GAINED FROM DEFENDANT MR THEODORE BENFIELD AND HE STATED HE WOULD SHOW US THE AREA THAT THESE ITEMS WERE LOCATED. UPON THIS DEPUTY FOLLOWING HIM TO A REAR BEDROOM, HE POINTED TO A WOOD BOX. UPON ME OPENING THE BOX SEVERAL METHAMPHETAMINE ONE POT COOKS WERE OBSERVED. THE ROOM HAD A STRONG CHEMICAL ODOR. WE IMMEDIATELY LEFT THE RESIDENCE. ONCE WE WERE BACK OUTSIDE THE TWO DEFENDANTS WERE SEPARATED. MIRANDA WAS READ TO DEFENDANT MR THEODORE BENFIELD FROM A PREPRINTED CARD. WHEN ASKED IF HE UNDERSTOOD HE ADVISED THAT HE DID AND THAT HE STILL WANTED TO SPEAK WITH THIS DEPUTY. HE ADVISED THAT BOTH HE AND THE SUSPECT HAD BEEN MANUFACTURING METHAMPHETAMINE FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE DAYS AND THAT THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF MANUFACTURING ITEMS IN THE MASTER BEDROOM. HE WAS ASKED ABOUT THE PREVIOUS VERBAL CONSENT FOR THE SEARCH THAT HE GAVE, WHICH HE CONFIRMED DURING THE INTERVIEW AND GAVE VERBAL CONSENT TO SEARCH AGAIN DURING THE RECORDED INTERVIEW. THIS CONCLUDED THE INTERVIEW. AT THAT TIME, AN INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED WITH DEFENDANT MS LESLIE BENFIELD. THE DEFENDANT WAS READ MIRANDA FROM A PREPRINTED CARD. WHEN ASKED IF SHE UNDERSTOOD, SHE ADVISED THAT SHE DID. WHEN ASKED IF SHE STILL WANTED TO SPEAK WITH THIS DETECTIVE, SHE ADVISED THAT SHE DID. SHE ALSO CONFIRMED THAT METHAMPHETAMINE MANUFACTURING HAD BEEN OCCURRING AT THE RESIDENCE. DURING THIS FIRST INTERVIEW SHE DID OPENLY ADMITTED TO BUYING EPHEDRINE AND CHEMICALS FOR THE MANUFACTURING, STATING THAT BOTH SHE AND HER HUSBAND RECEIVED METH FOR HELPING THE SUSPECT. SHE CONFIRMED THE INITIAL CONSENT TO SEARCH AND CONSENT TO SEARCH AGAIN WHEN I ASKED FOR IT DURING THE RECORDED INTERVIEW AND SHE ADVISED THAT WE COULD. THE INTERVIEW WAS CONCLUDED. ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO THE SCENE TO INCLUDE FIRE AND HAZMAT. AIR QUALITY SAMPLES WERE TAKEN OF THE RESIDENCE, THE MASTER BEDROOM DID SHOW A WARNING READING OF LACK OF OXYGEN. AT THIS TIME, WE VENTILATED THE RESIDENCE. UPON AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, DEPUTY PARSONS AND I, ENTERED THE RESIDENCE. DURING THE SEARCH OF THE MASTER BEDROOM THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WERE FOUND; SEVEN ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOKS, SEVERAL HCL GAS GENERATORS, ONE OF WHICH WAS STILL OFF GASSING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS. NUMEROUS LITHIUM BATTERY CASINGS, WHICH HAD BEEN CUT OPEN. FUNNELS, COLD PACKAGES, A CONTAINER OF LIQUID LIGHTNING (DRANO), NUMEROUS COFFEE FILTERS WHICH HAD BEEN USED IN the MANUFACTURING PROCESS. PIECES OF TUBING AND BAGGIES USED IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND EMPTY CONTAINERS OF LYE. MULTIPLE SYRINGES, WHICH BOTH DEFENDANTS STATED HAD BEEN USED TO INJECT THE METH, WERE ALSO FOUND. ALL ITEMS WERE COLLECTED AND REMOVED FROM THE RESIDENCE. ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE RESIDENCE SEVERAL BOXES AND CONTAINERS WERE FOUND CONTAINING ADDITIONAL COFFEE FILTERS, LITHIUM BATTERY CASINGS, COLD PACKS AND AN ADDITIONAL 17 ONE POT COOKS. EMPTY BOTTLES OF ACID, EMPTY CONTAINER OF COLEMAN FUEL, EMPTY CONTAINERS OF LIGHTER FLUID, ADDITIONAL BAGGIES AND FUNNELS. ALL ITEMS WERE COLLECTED AND WERE ALSO REMOVED. AT THIS TIME, A SECONDARY INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED WITH DEFENDANT MS LESLIE BENFIELD, DURING THIS INTERVIEW SHE WAS REMINDED OF HER MIRANDA RIGHTS. SHE DID ADVISE THAT SHE STILL DID WISH TO SPEAK WITH ME. SHE STATED THAT FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS THERE HAS BEEN MANUFACTURING OCCURRING AT AND AROUND THE RESIDENCE. SHE ADVISED THAT IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE AND SHE ONCE AGAIN CONFESSED TO PURCHASING CHEMICALS TO INCLUDE COLEMAN FUEL, LYE, LITHIUM BATTERIES AND SUDAFED FOR THESE COOKS. WHEN ASKED HOW MUCH SUDAFED SHE HAS PURCHASED, SHE STATED AS MUCH AS SHE LEGALLY COULD FOR THE PAST FIVE MONTHS. SHE WAS ASKED IF SHE HAD OBSERVED ANY MANUFACTURING IN THE RESIDENCE, SHE STATED THAT SHE KNEW THAT THEY WOULD GAS IT OFF AND BRING IT INSIDE TO DRY THE âDOPEâ WITH HAIRDRYERS LOCATED IN THE MASTER BEDROOM. SHE ONCE AGAIN WENT INTO DETAIL ABOUT HOW HER AND HER HUSBAND/DEFENDANT MR THEODORE BENFIELD RECEIVED METH IN TRADE FOR THEIR HELP. WHEN ASKED WHERE THE CHILDREN WERE DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, SHE ADVISED THAT THEY WERE SLEEPING IN THEIR BEDS. UPON THE CONCLUSION OF THIS INTERVIEW, A SECOND DIGITALLY RECORDED INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED WITH DEFENDANT MR THEODORE BENFIELD, HE WAS REMINDED OF HIS RIGHTS AND HE ADVISED HE DID WANT TO SPEAK TO ME. HE ALSO WENT INTO DETAIL HOW OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS HE HAD HELPED THE SUSPECT MANUFACTURE METH IN THE WOODS BEHIND THE RESIDENCE AND AT THE RESIDENCE. HE CONFIRMED THE LOCATION OF THE MAJORITY OF THE ITEMS FOUND IN THE BEDROOM, AS WELL AS ADVISED THAT HE KNEW THE ITEMS THAT WERE LOCATED IN THE YARD WERE PRESENT. HE ALSO ONCE AGAIN CONFESSED TO THE USE OF METHAMPHETAMINE STATING THAT HE INJECTS IT. WHEN ASKED WHERE THE CHILDREN WHERE DURING THIS TIME FRAME OF THE MANUFACTURING, HE AT FIRST ADVISED THAT THEY WERE NOT NOME. UPON TELLING HIM THAT HIS WIFE/DEFENDANT MS LESLIE BENFIELD HAD ALREADY STATED THAT THE CHILDREN WERE HOME DURING THE MANUFACTURING, HE DID CONFESS THAT THE CHILDREN WERE PRESENT. UPON COMPLETION OF THIS INTERVIEW BOTH DEFENDANTS WERE ARRESTED, HANDCUFFED (DOUBLE LOCKED) IN THE REAR AND TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE DEFENDANTSâ BOND WAS SET AT $250,500.00 EACH, PER THE BOND SCHEDULE. WHILE DEPUTY PARSONS AND I, WERE MAKING THE CONTAMINATED ITEMS SAFE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE ONE POT METHAMPHETAMINE COOKS WERE IN EASY REACH OF THE CHILDREN. ALL THE CHEMICALS WERE LOCATED INSIDE THE RESIDENCE. IT ALSO SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE SYRINGES LOCATED DID NOT HAVE CAPS ON THEM. |
