Starke County motel condemned after multiple meth labs found

Six people arrested on drug charges

April 16, 2011|SBT24/7 News Report

A Starke County motel has been condemned until further notice after police arrested six people on various drug charges Friday, the Starke County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

According to the release, the following happened:

Officers arrived at the Holloway Motel, 2340 E. US Highway 30 in Hamlet, Friday afternoon to find a person who had an arrest warrant. During their search, they smelled a chemical odor they associated with making meth.

They obtained a search warrant to search a room and found an illegal meth lab, precursors to manufacture meth, meth, marijuana, syringes and other drug paraphernalia.

Three people were arrested from that room. Matthew Scholl, Cheryl Paschen and Kimberly Hurley face several charges ranging from manufacturing meth to possession of drug paraphernalia.

During the search of their room, police spoke with the hotel's manager. The manager allowed police to search his living area. Police found a person hiding in the bedroom as well as precursors commonly used to manufacture meth.

Police then obtained a search warrant for the manager's office. Police found meth, meth precursors, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and several controlled substances.

The hotel's manager, Freeman Spelts, and the person police found hiding in the manager's bedroom, Tracey Gaideski, were arrested and face charges ranging from possession of precursors to manufacture meth and possession of paraphernalia.

The owner of the Holloway Motel then gave police consent to search all vacant rooms, the laundry room and the basement of the motel.

Police found another meth lab in one vacant room as well as two meth labs in the back of a pickup truck in the parking lot.

Police located the owner of the pickup truck, Timothy Clark, and arrested him and charged him with possession of an illegal meth lab.

Child Protective Services took custody of one 8-year-old whose parents were arrested, police said.

Starke County Health Department director Dr. Theresa Alexander condemned the motel until further notice. All occupants of the motel who weren't arrested were evacuated.

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