Four charged by Sheriff’s deputies with conspiracy to make meth

Four Southwest Georgians, two from Bainbridge, GA, and two from Donalsonville, GA, have been arrested by the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office this week and charged with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.

At about 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, Decatur County Sheriff’s deputies traveled to 110 Gail Drive, located off U.S. 84 West just outside Bainbridge city limits.

The deputies were looking for a person wanted on warrants related to an unrelated domestic incident, said Sheriff’s Office Investigator Brian Donalson. The wanted person was not there, but because the residence was previously mentioned in a complaint about possible drug activity, deputies asked for permission to search a vehicle and the residence, Donalson said.

After getting permission from a resident, deputies searched a Chevrolet Suburban SUV belonging to 39-year-old Trent Baxter Hyatt of 214 Mount Olive Church Road in Bainbridge; they also got permission to search Hyatt’s person.

Inside the SUV, deputies found a bag containing all of the common ingredients used to make meth, including a large quantity of pills containing pseudoephedrine, according to Donalson. Deputies also found a small quantity of finished meth on Hyatt’s person.

“It was not an active meth lab, however, everything a person would need to make meth was [in the vehicle],” Donalson said.

Deputies arrested Hyatt and Joel Stephen Gray Jr., 27, of 2798 Burlane Road in Donalsonville, GA, on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday evening, the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office arrested Miles Dustin Perry, 32, of 2276 Jack Miles Road, Donalsonville, GA, and Roxana Jo Knechtel, 30, of 110 Gail Drive, Bainbridge.

All four are charged with conspiracy to manufacture meth. Hyatt is facing an additional charge of possession of meth.

In an effort to combat meth trafficking, Georgia law prohibits how much pseudoephedrine products a person can possess at one time or buy over a period of time; violators can be charged with unlawful possession of pseudo ephedrine.

“The conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine charges are based on our belief that these four individuals were working together to buy pseudoephedrine and other meth precursors,” Investigator Donalson said.

Donalson said he believes the four suspects charged may have been traveling between several cities in Georgia and Alabama to bypass pseudoephedrine purchase restrictions.

Assisting Donalson on the initial discovery of the suspected meth ingredients were Investigator Ken Davidson, Capt. Gale Bowyer, Capt. Patrick Trolinger, and deputies Vincent Edmond and Adam Mobley.