Agents Bust Meth Lab, Arrest Couple Police Remove Two Children From Home After Finding ‘Cooking’ Equipment In Apartment

For the third time in 18 months, narcotics agents arrested a Coeur d’Alene man on drug-making charges after finding suspected methamphetamine labs in his apartment and car.

Agents, who searched Dallas D. Johnston’s apartment on Emma Avenue, also removed two small children from the apartment Wednesday and arrested his wife. Both children were taken to Kootenai Medical Center as a precaution because toxic chemicals are used to manufacture methamphetamine.

The 15-month-old girl and 4-year-old boy have been placed in protective custody, said Wayne Longo, Idaho Criminal Investigations Bureau supervisory agent. Their conditions were not available Thursday.

Meanwhile, Johnston, 30, and his 26-year-old wife, Patricia A. Sullivan, each made first appearances Thursday before a judge. They were ordered held in the Kootenai County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

Both have been charged with trafficking in methamphetamine in an amount over 400 grams, manufacturing methamphetamine and two counts of manufacturing a controlled substance where children are present, said Joel Hazel, a Kootenai County deputy prosecutor.

If convicted on the trafficking charge, each faces at least 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to life terms. Manufacturing methamphetamine also carries a potential life sentence.

Convictions on the allegations that children were present when drugs were made could add 15 years for each count, Hazel said.

Wednesday’s bust was not related to raids on two other suspected meth labs in Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene earlier this week, authorities said.

Longo said agents had been watching Johnston’s apartment for a while. Officers stopped Johnston, whose license is suspended, when they saw him drive away from the apartment about 3 p.m., he said.

A judge issued agents a search warrant and they discovered a complete drug lab and what is believed to be meth in the car, Longo said. That led agents to search apartment J at 1101 Emma Avenue, where they said they found equipment used to “cook” meth.

A criminal complaint filed Thursday in 1st District Court alleges Johnston and Sullivan had 5,172 grams of meth when they were arrested, Hazel said.

“This is a guy we’ve been after for quite some time,” Longo said.

State agents first arrested Johnston on charges of manufacturing meth where children were present in March 1997 after raiding a Stateline house. Officers said they found drug-making supplies near food and children’s toys.

A judge has since dismissed the charges, ruling officers violated search rules.

In February, Johnston was again arrested in Bonner County during raids on several houses suspected of containing meth labs. The status of that case could not be confirmed Thursday.

Equipment taken from the car and apartment on Wednesday was used in a medium-sized lab, capable of producing meth in ounce quantities, Longo said. Officers found stains on the wall that appeared to be consistent with iodine, a chemical used to make meth.

Neighbors had been complaining to police about a foul smell coming from the apartment.

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