Albert Lea man charged with intending to manufacture meth

Published 7:38 pm Friday, February 10, 2017

An Albert Lea man is facing charges in Freeborn County District Court after allegedly intending to manufacture methamphetamine.

Michael Allen Haukoos, 39, is charged with possessing meth precursors with the intent to manufacture, being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm and receiving stolen property.

Court documents state Haukoos was charged after Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant Tuesday at an Albert Lea address where Haukoos lived with someone he knew.

Michael Allen Haukoos

Michael Allen Haukoos

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A deputy reportedly found a suitcase with multiple rounds of ammunition and a pry bar. The deputy allegedly smelled a strong chemical odor in the area, left the building and alerted other officers to the hazard.

A blue shopping bag behind a couch was found with coffee filters, a plastic bottle with a hole in it, a mason jar of fluid, a container of iodized salt, drain cleaner, a prescription bottle with white pills, lithium batteries, aluminum foil and a blender — all items typically used to manufacture meth, court documents state.

A deputy reportedly recognized it as a method of a type of portable meth lab.

Haukoos’ roommate admitted Haukoos made meth and used a method that yielded them 3 grams. Haukoos’ roommate said the last time she helped him make meth was in late summer or early fall 2016.

Haukoos allegedly improperly vetted the process on one occasion, causing it to explode in his hands.

A plastic bottle with plastic tubes found with other precursors and one of three glass tubes found in a drawer reportedly tested positive for meth. A shotgun and a bow reported stolen in Freeborn County were allegedly found behind a couch. Haukoos denied stealing the bow and alleged it had been planted before saying it was payment for a car they had loaned to another person. He denied knowing it was stolen.

District Court Judge Ross Leuning set conditional bail for Haukoos at $100,000 on Thursday.

Haukoos’ next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 23.

Haukoos was convicted of possessing burglary tools Jan. 12. Sentencing is scheduled for March 2.

In a separate file, Haukoos is charged with possessing stolen property. A jury trial is scheduled for April 25.

Possessing meth precursors with the intent to manufacture carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

About Sam Wilmes

Sam Wilmes covers crime, courts and government for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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