Investigation leads to meth lab, elderly woman living in deplorable conditions in Elyria

An Elyria couple’s suspected pseudoephedrine purchases led drug task force agents to High Street on May 27.

Agents of the Lorain County Drug Task Force — along with detectives from the Elyria Police Department Narcotics Unit—arrested 36-year-old Steven Thacker and 28-year-old Faliesha Light, and charged the couple with illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine, a second-degree felony, according to Chief Deputy Dennis Cavanaugh.

The pair was arrested after an investigation by Detective Olen Martin led agents to their home.

“He developed a case that led officers to suspect a meth problem at the house,” Cavanaugh said.

When they entered the home located at 63 High St., officers found a 70-year-old, bed-ridden woman and her son living in deplorable conditions, he added.

The woman’s husband, who also lives at the home, was not on the premises at the time of the warrant execution.

Cavanaugh said he is unsure as to the relationship between the three individuals and the arrested pair.

During the seizure, a setup including 10 “one-pot’’ cooking containers and several other components and precursors used in the manufacturing process were taken from the home, according to Cavanaugh.

The woman was transported to Elyria Memorial Hospital for observation and treatment, he added. Adult Protective Services was contacted to check on the woman’s well-being and the home was condemned.

“The conditions were extremely tough,” he added. “The officers who were there said because of the chemical component and the condition of the home, it was better that she was transported.”

Cavanaugh said the investigation into the couple’s alleged methamphetamine manufacturing is ongoing, but he does not think the other three tenants were involved in the process.

“We believe the two that were arrested are the ones who were doing the manufacturing,” he added.

Thacker and Light are each being held at the Lorain County Jail on $100,000 bond. They are scheduled to appear in Elyria Municipal for a preliminary hearing May 29, according to court records.

 

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