Law enforcement officials in Berlin, Wisconsin have successfully shut down a meth house after a traffic stop early last month.
Police say the investigation started when a City of Berlin Police Officer made a traffic stop for a seatbelt violation back on June 9th, 2017.
The driver of the vehicle appeared nervous, shaky, and was sweating profusely. The driver, 32-year-old Russell Barton of Fond du Lac, then dropped a metal piece of drug paraphernalia, spurring the officer to call the Green County Sheriff's Department's K-9 unit which was in the area at the time.
Upon arrival police say the Sheriff's K-9 sniffed Bartons car revealing both drugs, and other items used to "cook" meth.
While the search was going on the officer and a Green Lake County Sheriff's Deputy continued talking with Barton which eventually led law enforcement to a home on the 100 block of Swetting Street in Berlin.
A search of the home found a "One-pot" cooking operation, paraphernalia, as well as two small children living in the home.
The children were taken to the hospital for exposure testing which revealed high levels of methamphetamine in their systems.
Police arrested Barton, along with 30-year-old Shannon McFarlin of Ripon, as well as 43-year-old Shawn Ellis and 30-year-old Jennie Hetchler both from Berlin. All are being held on various charges related to methamphetamine production and possession.
Additionally, Ellis and Hetchler are charged with Maintaining a Drug Trafficking Place, and two counts of Physical Abuse of a Child among others, and are being held in the Green Lake County Jail.