WILLMAR -- A 34-year-old Renville man made his first appearance Thursday in Kandiyohi County District Court on charges he was operating a mobile methamphetamine lab in a vehicle.
Judge Kathryn N. Smith set unconditional bail at $200,000 for Jason Michael Larson. Conditional bail was set at $75,000. He is facing four felony charges, including a first-degree drug charge for manufacturing meth and a drug conspiracy charge for manufacturing meth plus charges of possession of meth precursors with the intent to manufacture the drug.
After Larson was arrested early Wednesday morning, he admitted to officers that he had cooked meth five times since March, and that the largest batch was 70 grams, according to the complaint. He also admitted that he and two others were on their way to get anhydrous ammonia to cook another batch when they were apprehended by officers in Svea.
According to the complaint, a Kandiyohi County sheriff's deputy was on patrol in Svea around 2:40 a.m. Wednesday and observed a vehicle parked between two semi-trucks. Two male occupants of a car ran into the woods after the deputy turned his spotlight on the vehicle, but a third individual, later identified as Larson, stayed with the car and seemed like he didn't know where to go, the complaint states.
Deputies used the county K-9 unit to check the car after they observed a strange odor coming from the vehicle. The dog signaled that he detected something in two areas: an open door to the car and the trunk. The deputies, along with CEE-VI Drug Task Force agents, searched the car and found numerous items used in meth making, including ephedrine pills, muriatic acid, a coffee pot and grinder. They also found a rifle, meth pipe, a digital scale, baggies and a bag of marijuana in the vehicle.
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Larson's next court appearance is set for Aug. 13.
