Gasconade County Republican

Brett D. Owens, 49; Jeffrey A. Haslag, 48; and Brandi M. Schroeder, 35. (left to right)Frequent purchases of pseudoephedrine by a Bay couple prompted officers with the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group to pay a visit to their Fowler Road residence Thursday evening.

According to Gasconade County Sheriff Randy Esphorst, when LANEG task force officers made their way up the hill about halfway between U.S. 50 and downtown Bay, they detected a chemical odor commonly associated with methamphetamine production. “Through their training and experience  they knew the odor was consistent with the production of methamphetamine,” Esphorst reported.

Task force members made contact with Brett D. Owens, 49, and Brandi M. Schroeder, 35, at the residence and received permission to search the property, according to Esphorst’s report. Lawmen located a burn pile outside the residence which contained “known items of drug paraphernalia that are used to ingest methamphetamine.”

Across from the residence, lawmen saw a male resident at the window of a mobile home holding and a plastic pitcher and shaking it on occasion, the sheriff reported.

“Officers noted a fan in the window of the mobile home that was ventilating a chemical odor that is consistent with methamphetamine production,” said Esphorst.

Inside the mobile home, allegedly in the process of cooking a batch of meth, was Jeffrey A. Haslag, 48.

Task force members secured the two dwellings and obtained a search warrant. “Numerous items were seized that are consistent with the production of methamphetamine,” Esphorst reported.

All three were charged in felony warrants carrying identical $50,000 bonds. Each was charged with one class B felony count alleging manufacturing of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and one class C felony alleging possession of a controlled substance. Owens, Schroeder and Haslag were jailed in Crawford County’s facility in Steelville pending court appearances. Esphorst said task force officers had “been monitoring two individuals who had made 37 purchases of pseudoephedrine over a specific period of time.” Capt. Chuck Howard said Owens and Schroeder are “boyfriend and girlfriend” and were suspected of purchasing the cold pills to make meth.