Suspected meth lab found in Palmer

PALMER — Members of the Mat-Su Drug Team discovered another methamphetamine lab Sunday in a Palmer residence, Alaska State Troopers reported.

On Oct. 10, investigators served a search warrant at the home of Matthew Eakens, 27, and found waste products from the manufacture of methamphetamine, including matchbook striker plates, empty bottles of Heet Gas Treatment, a hydrogen chloride gas generator and numerous empty blister packs of cold remedy medicine.

Troopers also discovered methamphetamine in one of the bedrooms.

Eakens and another man, Jeromy Spurgeon, 26, were at the residence when troopers arrived. The two were arrested and charged with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance. Eakens was also charged with two counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance and Spurgeon was charged with one count.

According to a trooper affidavit filed at Palmer District Court, two phone calls in September, from Wasilla Fred Meyer and Palmer Carrs, helped investigators determine Eakens and Spurgeon were manufacturing meth.

Both stores told troopers two men bought large amounts of items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, including Sudafed and boxes of booked matches.

The stores also reported the license plate number of the car the men drove, which was registered to Eakens. A security camera from Carrs captured a man on tape purchasing matchbooks who closely resembled Spurgeon, troopers reported.

Spurgeon has a history of prior criminal activity, including a conviction for third-degree assault in 2001, sixth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance in 2003, and, most recently, third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance for an incident in March 2004.

Palmer Police Officer Kelly Swihart stopped Spurgeon on March 7 after a disturbance involving firearms at Valley Billiards. Swihart searched his car and found a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun with a blue bandana wrapped around the grips, a glass pipe, approximately 3.5 grams of cocaine and four packages of methamphetamine.

Spurgeon gave Swihart consent to search his car only after he claimed he possessed nothing illegal and if anything illegal was found in his car someone put it there without his knowledge. Spurgeon told Swihart to keep the items, gave his home address and was released.

The next day Swihart went to that address and discovered Spurgeon did not live there anymore and that he was known to carry a 9mm handgun with a blue bandana wrapped around the grips.

Sgt. Patrick Davis, who heads the Mat-Su Drug Team, said the meth lab busted Sunday is the 38th meth lab discovered in the Valley this year, a record high.

Last year there were 66 meth labs busted in the entire state, and Davis anticipates Mat-Su alone will exceed that number by the end of this year.

Davis has been a police officer in Alaska for 19 years and a state trooper for 15 years. He said he has never seen this level of concentrated meth production.

“We’re a hotbed of meth activity, this year especially,” Davis said. “We’ve noticed a steady increase in the last four years, but this is more of an explosion.”

Eakens’ bail was set at $25,000, cash or corporate, and a third-party custodian. Spurgeon’s bail was set at $20,000, cash or corporate, and a third party. Both men were taken to Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility.

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.