Meth Lab Uncovered In Green Lake County

7/7/17 – Four people have been charged in Green Lake County Court in connection to a methamphetamine lab. 32-year-old Russell Barton of Fond du Lac, 43-year-old Shawn Ellis of Berlin, 30-year-old Jennie Hetchler of Berlin, and 32-year-old Shannon McFarlin of Ripon are all facing felony charges. On June 9, a Berlin police officer pulled over a driver for not wearing their seatbelt and noticed that the individual was acting nervous. A K-9 unit was called and drug paraphernalia was found in the vehicle. In talking the officers, the driver allegedly informed them of a meth cooking operation at a home in the city of Berlin. In searching the residence, a “one-pot” cooking operation was discovered along with paraphernalia used to produce meth. Officers also discovered young children living in the home exposed to the meth production. They were transported to a local hospital were tests results revealed high levels of meth in their system. Ellis and Hetchler are both being held on probation holds for arrests dating back to 2014 where they were found to be operating a meth lab with more than 40 “one-pot” devices.