Police raid Ellwood meth lab

By LISA MICCO
and PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
lmicco@ncnewsonline.com
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com

The noxious fumes hit Andy Petyak as he entered the Ellwood City home yesterday afternoon.

Seeing two preschoolers inside made the former federal drug agent sick.

Led by the borough police department, authorities shut down a moving methamphetamine lab. Arrested were William Justin Perrine, 40, and Frank Demaro, no age provided, at 418 Ninth St. Perrine faces felony and misdemeanor drug charges. Demaro, held on a state parole detainer, is awaiting charges.

Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa said the raid was the result of a two-week investigation involving a meth lab that moved between Beaver and Lawrence counties.

“We identified a couple of the targets, and we then conducted an operation last week,” he said. “We ended up raiding a house over in Beaver.

“We hit a lab and realized that based on the information ... there was potentially another lab being run in Lawrence County.”

He credited the cooperation of the borough’s police, fire department and Mayor Tony Court, along with Pennsylvania State Police, New Castle police and the Lawrence County Drug Task Force.

“The chiefs of police of Ellwood and New Castle have just given us free reign to do whatever we can to assist them, and their guys are constantly out there,” Lamancusa said of the joint effort. “It’s extremely difficult and dangerous. Today was a good day for law enforcement and the community of Ellwood.

“We want to send the message that we do not want meth coming into our community.”

He also commended New Castle’s full-time narcotics unit.

“They are one of the major players in our drug task force. They are essentially our backbone.”

Police went to the home at 4 p.m. to serve an arrest warrant to Perrine, who is also known as “The Sandman.” A woman met officers at the door and ran in the opposite direction, screaming Perrine’s name. When police and Petyak went inside, they quickly determined that a meth lab was in operation.

“I’ve been doing this so long that as soon as I crossed the threshold of the door, I smelled it,” Petyak said, referring to the solvents used in the drug’s production. “I knew exactly what was in there.”

As they secured the residence, several officers headed to the basement. One of them noticed an unusual wall construction with a shelf in front of it. Once removed, an entry to a secret room was uncovered. Inside were Perrine and Demaro, along with chemicals used to make meth.

Petyak, who is director of the local task force, said the pair reportedly used the “boxed meth lab” method.

“They completed their process and put everything back in a ready box for the next time they cook,” he said. “So there’s not an active bubbling, churning lab, but the danger is still real.”

Petyak is familiar with this scene. For 23 years, he worked as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, specializing in meth operations.

The chemicals used to cook meth are toxic and volatile. Neighbors were evacuated as a precaution while a special state police unit from Meadville arrived to assess potential dangers. Petyak expected unit members to be there throughout the night.

“You just can’t bag this stuff up,” Lamancusa noted. “It poses a significant environmental hazard.”

Petyak added that 1 ounce of meth produces 5 to 6 pounds of waste.

“I don’t know the size of the room but as soon as they secured the residence (we) want to get those guys out of there to minimize their exposure to the methamphetamine fumes,” Lamancusa continued.

Petyak said he was concerned with the two children, who were turned over to county Children and Youth Services.

“I know the officers were very upset when they saw the kids,” Lamancusa said.

Petyak noted the youngsters should be taken to the hospital for blood work.

“Children absorb chemicals and other things more readily than adults do. They don’t have the tolerance that adults do, and it can affect their livers.

“You see the little girl come out with the stuffed animal. It’s bad.”

(Reporter Dan Irwin contributed to this story.)