Three people have been accused of housing a meth lab in an East Grand Forks apartment.
James Marvin Sackett, 33, of East Grand Forks, and two Grand Forks residents, Joshua Clyde Roudebush, 24, and Sonya Lee Barbieur, 32, were each charged Friday in Polk County District Court with manufacturing methamphetamine, a first-degree felony. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
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The Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force arrested the three suspects Thursday after receiving information the defendants were selling meth, according to charging documents. Officers visited and searched the home of Sackett, who allegedly missed a probation meeting related to a separate drug case from 2016, according to court filings.
Sackett, Barbieur and Roudebush were located in Sackett's apartment at 909 20th St. N.W., where officers said they found drug paraphernalia, according to a news release.
"During the search, officers noticed a strange odor, and several began noticing eye, nose and lung irritation," the task force said in the release. "Suspecting a possible methamphetamine lab, officers questioned the suspects, but all three continually denied knowing anything about a lab."
Drug task force agents found the remains of a "still-wet meth lab" in one of the apartment unit's bedrooms, according to the release. The apartment and adjacent units were evacuated, displacing two other families, officers said.
Roudebush has a criminal history related to drugs. He pleaded guilty Nov. 22 in Grand Forks District Court to a Class A felony of manufacturing meth related to an early July arrest that resulted in he and his mother, Elizabeth Joaan Roudebush, 53, of Finley, N.D., being accused of making meth in a minivan near Emerado, N.D. Officers said the chemicals used to make the drug exploded and caused the vehicle to catch fire.
Joshua Roudebush was sentenced to 24 months in jail, but Judge John Thelen ordered him to serve 120 days, which was canceled out by 120 days credit for time the defendant served. His mother pleaded guilty in October to a Class C felony of possessing drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation.
Sackett's criminal history includes driving under the influence, drug sale charges and traffic violations. Barbieur previously was convicted on charges of theft and hindering law enforcement.
