Man caught with meth lab in vehicle after showing up at marijuana drug bust

Daniel Scott Berndtson Daniel Scott Berndtson Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Man caught with meth lab in vehicle after showing up at marijuana drug bust 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

BIG RAPIDS — Poor timing and a poor sense of direction led to a Sparta man being arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine on Wednesday in Mecosta County.

Daniel Scott Berndtson, 49, was arraigned Thursday in Mecosta County’s 77th District Court on one charge of manufacturing methamphetamine and two charges of operating/maintaining a laboratory involving methamphetamine.

Berndtson was arrested he after pulled into the driveway of a home in Mecosta Township to turn his vehicle around. At the same time, the Central Michigan Enforcement Team was conducting a search on the home, said Detective Lt. Joel Abendroth, CMET’s team leader.

“Officers were executing a search warrant on a home suspected of illegally growing marijuana,” Abendroth said. “While on scene, a vehicle arrived and subsequent contact with the subject resulted in the discovery of an active one-pot meth lab in the truck.”

Manufacturing methamphetamine is a felony charge with a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Berndtson has a preliminary examination scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, in Mecosta County’s 77th District Court. His bond is set at $150,000.

After conducting their search of the property, police also arrested Penny Marie Alger on unrelated drug charges.

Alger, 59, of Stanwood, is charged with one count of manufacturing between 20 and 200 marijuana plants, three counts of delivery of marijuana, one count of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, two counts of maintaining a drug house and one count of manufacturing the controlled substance Delta-1-Tetrahydrocanabinol (THC).

Her charges stem from incidents occurring from June to July 2016 in Mecosta Township, according to court documents.

Manufacturing between 20 and 200 marijuana plants is a felony with a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison. However, Alger faces up to 14 years in prison because of a prior conviction for selling marijuana in 1984, according to court documents.

A preliminary examination for Alger is set for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, in Mecosta County’s 77th District Court. Her bond is set at $100,000.