Mother, son busted for suspected meth activity

A recent home visit by the Harrison County Superior Court probation department landed a Corydon mother and her son in jail on suspicion of marijuana and methamphetamine activity at the house.
Marci L. Springer, 39, and her son, Steven S. Springer III, 22, each face several felony counts relating to the manufacture of methamphetamine, and attempting to manufacture methamphetamine while in possession of a firearm.
Steven is also a suspect in the meth lab raid near Mauckport in March, when police moved in on a secluded log cabin near Morvin’s Landing. Steven ran from the cabin into the dark and fell over a 70-foot cliff, landed on large rocks in an abandoned quarry, and severely injured his back.
He was flown by helicopter ambulance to University of Louisville Hospital where he was admitted in serious condition. He has since been released from the hospital but still requires medical treatment.
Two others were arrested that night: Ellis C. Timberlake, 43, Mauckport, and Tony A. Knott, 43, Brandenburg. Later, Timerlake’s wife, Vanessa Timberlake, 43, was taken into custody. A warrant was also issued for Steven Springer III, but he wasn’t taken into custody then because he was hospitalized.
On May 21, police accompanied probation officers Jeff Skaggs and Sheila Temple to visit Springer at his residence on Old Forest Road. When they arrived, Harrison County Sheriff’s Dept. officers Chris Walden and Tim Berkenmeyer and the parole officers went to the front door. Officer Dennis Asher and Chief Gary Gilley went to the rear, where they said Steven Springer was again trying to escape. ‘He was ordered to go back inside, and he complied,’ Gilley said in an eight-page report filed with the court last week.
‘Steven also said there had been a meth lab there before, but it wasn’t here now,’ Gilley said.
Gilley said a search (which probation officers are allowed to do without a warrant) of Steven’s room turned up a small tin with a clear plastic bag containing white powder and a small wooden device called a ‘dug out.’ The dug out ‘has one hole under the lid to hide marijuana in, and another holds a hollow ceramic or metal cigarette look-alike to put marijuana in and smoke. This cigarette look-alike has burnt residue in it,’ he said.
Before the search could continue, Gilley returned to Corydon to obtain a search warrant for the home.
Rolling papers (JOB 1.5), a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette, and a loaded sawed-off pump 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun which had been recently fired were all found in the home, police said.
Springer was taken to jail and booked on outstanding warrants and additional methamphetamine and marijuana charges. He remained in jail yesterday, with bond set at $30,000 cash. A preliminary court hearing is set for July 16 at 9 a.m.
Marci Springer was booked on methamphetamine-related charges. She bonded out of jail the next day on $25,000 full cash and is scheduled to return to court July 28 at 9 a.m.
Gilley said:
At the residence, police found six marijuana plants in five plastic pots in the back of the home, mixed in with flowers. In the woods, another pot with seven marijuana plants was found.
In Marci’s bedroom a single-barrel sawed-off shotgun was found in a case with a shell in the chamber and one shell in a hole in the stock with tape over it. Serial numbers had been ground off.
A plastic bag was found containing about 50 black and green seeds and a black bag was also found with a blue and silver pipe with marijuana residue.
A radio with charger believed stolen from the Ramsey Volunteer Fire Dept. was located in a gun cabinet.
Gilley again returned to Corydon to obtain a search warrant allowing police to search for stolen items.
Two burnt hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes (roaches) were found in Marci’s bedroom and a baggy containing three green and three white pills were sent to the laboratory for tests.
In a jewelry box in Marci’s bedroom, about 100 tiny zip-lock bags were found plus 2-1/4 by 1-3/4-inch bags were found, which are commonly used to distribute drugs. Under the bed was a set of Sunbeam digital scales used to weigh drugs for sale and to weigh the correct amount of chemicals for an illegal drug recipe.
In the kitchen, police found a ceramic pot with hemostats and needle nose pliers, both with burnt residue, and a plug-in scanner plus hand-held scanner were found, programmed into police radio frequencies.
A garbage bag on the back deck had a black hose taped to a glass flask on one end and a clear plastic bottle on the other. The flask had red residue in it; it was sent to the police laboratory for testing. Also in the garbage bag were five latex gloves, one blue flex-tuff rubber glove, and a white towel with red, burnt residue.
Behind a pole barn, police found an old blue pick-up with a microwave oven and two black plastic garbage bags. ‘In one of the bags was a broken green glass bottle with smoke coming from it and white residue, six feet of half inch black hose with duct tape and 16 inches of clear plastic tubing (commonly known as an ACL generator for use in an illegal drug lab).’ In the other bag was a broken glass jar, three coffee filters, and a white towel. One green bottle and a clear glass bottle were also found in the truck.
Many other items were located in the woods north of the truck and in the garage which are also used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
A white Cadillac owned by Ellis Timberlake, which Steven Springer said he had driven to the house, was parked in front of the garage. Inside, police found aluminum foil and clear plastic with white residue, a pill bottle with red flaky powder, and a blue note book with hand written and typed notes on how to ‘cook or make methamphetamine.’