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HANOVER TWP. — Township police allegedly discovered evidence of a meth lab inside a third floor apartment at 184 Boland Ave. while investigating a domestic dispute on Sunday.

Russell Fred Tilley III, 39, allegedly admitted he was cooking meth after initially claiming he was taking cold medicine for allergies and needed to clean pipes to a sink.

Police said they seized a box of 15 tablets of pseudoephedrine sulfate, an instant cold pack, liquid fire, lighter fluid, drain cleaner, lithium batteries, salt, a hose and a funnel from the apartment, court records say.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police responded to the apartment building just after 6:30 p.m. for a domestic dispute. When an officer arrived, Tilley was found sitting on a kitchen floor that had items commonly used to cook meth.

Tilley and Amy Casarella told the officer they got loud during an argument.

When the officer noticed the items, Tilley stated “I know what this looks like,” the complaint says.

Casarella allegedly told police she purchased cold medicine for Tilley and meth was being cooked in a camper. She claimed items in the apartment came from the camper that no one utilized.

Tilley initially denied he was cooking meth, claiming the cold medicine was for his allergies and the drain cleaner was for pipes that needed cleaning. He later admitted the ingredients were for cooking meth, the complaint says.

Casarella told police she usually fell asleep when meth was being cooked because the process takes a few hours.

Tilley was arraigned Monday by District Judge Matthew Christopher in Luzerne County Central Court on charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession a precursor substance with intent to unlawfully manufacture a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal attempt to manufacture a controlled substance. He was jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $50,000 bail.

No charges have been filed against Casarella.

Tilley
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Russell-Tilley-HanTwpPD-03252019-1.jpg.optimal.jpgTilley

By Ed Lewis

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