2 bound over in meth probe

NEWTON FALLS — Two of three people charged with making an extreme version of methamphetamine at a Bloomfield Township house have been bound over to the Trumbull County grand jury.

The owner of a Cooks Lane meth lab, Gretchen Gifford, 35, and her boyfriend, David E. Heath Jr., 30, waived preliminary hearings Thursday to charges of aggravated trafficking in drugs, illegal manufacture of drugs and child endangering.

Municipal Judge Philip M. Vigorito ordered the cases of Gifford and Heath bound over to the grand jury. Their bonds were reduced from $100,000 each to $50,000.

A third person who arrived at the house during the raid, Lance Palshook, 24, of Rome, Ohio, is charged with possession of chemicals used to manufacture drugs.

He has been released after posting a $50,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing at 11 a.m. March 13.

Police officers from Trumbull County, Ashtabula and Niles had been watching the house for several months. The three were allegedly manufacturing “Red-P,” a potent, rust-colored stimulant.

Sheriff Thomas Altiere said they were buying bulk amounts of Sudafed, a nasal decongestant, and cooking it down as the main ingredient in methamphetamine.

Local groceries and pharmacies are required to obtain signatures from customers who buy drugs such as Sudafed. Niles police had discovered the purchase of large quantities, the sheriff said.

Gifford, Heath and Palshook and the house were decontaminated by the Trumbull County Hazardous Material Team.

Two of Gifford’s small children were at the house when raided, the sheriff noted.