2 charged with running meth lab in their home

STAFF REPORT

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Two people were arrested in connection with a methamphetamine lab authorities say operated out of a house at 427 Uber St.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said Rocco Wing, 34, and Martha Mills, 33, are charged with manufacturing meth in a second-floor bedroom at their home from September until December 2008.

Evidence and testimony were presented to a statewide grand jury, Corbett said. Charges were filed Monday.

New Castle Police Chief Tom Sansone said his department took control of the lab in December.

Corbett said Mills’ three children lived with her at the house.

Meth production is dangerous, he pointed out, because it uses volatile chemicals and solvents.

“These children lived in a home with a meth lab, which exposed them to harmful chemicals and could have easily exploded or caught fire,” Corbett said.

According to the grand jury, Wing and Mills made 15 single-box purchases of Sudafed, which contains a key ingredient in meth manufacturing, at area pharmacies between September and December.

The investigation showed that in one instance, they bought Sudafed from five pharmacies in one hour, Corbett said.

Assisting the attorney general’s office in the investigation were New Castle police, Pennsylvania State Police, New Castle Fire Department, Lawrence County Emergency Management, Lawrence County Children and Youth Services and the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office.

Wing is charged with four counts of possession of meth, four counts of manufacture or possession with intent to deliver, three counts of delivery of meth, three counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of manufacturing meth in a structure where a child is present, among other charges.

Mills is charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child, four counts of possession of meth, four counts of manufacture and possession with intent to deliver, and one count of manufacturing meth in a structure where a child is present, among other charges.

The defendants are in the Lawrence County Jail.

Their preliminary hearings are set for 9:30 Tuesday in Lawrence County District Court.