Ravenna Township man facing meth manufacturing, possession and weapons charges
Ravenna police say a traffic stop Sunday afternoon led to the discovery of a meth lab inside a home on state Route 14 in the township.
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Michael J. Christians, 52, of Ravenna Township is charged with second-degree felony illegal manufacturing of drugs and third-degree felony charges of possession of drugs and having weapons under disability, according to Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna records. He also is cited with no operator's license and an equipment violation for the brake light.
A $200,000 bond was set for Christians during his arraignment Monday afternoon, according to court records, and he is scheduled for a preliminary hearing this Friday. He appeared without an attorney during his arraignment and Acting Judge Eric Fink ordered one be appointed to represent him within three days.
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Ravenna police stopped a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Christians for having a broken windshield and only one working brake light on Main Street, near Grant Street, at 2:22 p.m. Sunday, according to a police media release issued Monday.
Police K-9 Drago was deployed and indicated the possible presence of narcotics in the vehicle, according to the release. Police said the vehicle was searched and suspected meth and two firearms were found.
Based on what was found in the vehicle and an interview with Christians, police obtained a search warrant of his Route 14 home.
Found there were "numerous" alleged "one-pot style meth labs" — portable labs used to manufacture meth in smaller quantities, but faster than other methods — suspected meth, and a modified rifle reported stolen in Michigan.
In its own media release, the Portage County Sheriff's Office said trained sheriff's personnel were called in to clean up the meth labs, which contain toxic and potentially explosive chemicals that need to be handled with care.
According to complaints police filed in court, 3.58 grans of suspected meth was found in Christian's possession and the weapons charge was filed because Christians is not allowed to possess firearms due to alleged frequent use of illegal narcotics.
Christians was booked into Portage County Jail late Sunday night, according to a jail booking report.
The FBI and DEA also assisted, and the matter remains under investigation, police said.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ravenna Township man facing meth manufacturing and weapons charges
