An area man initially accused of operating one of the most complex meth labs in Butler County history faces up to 40 years in prison following convictions this week, but not on drug charges.
Floyd Everett Martin, 49, was convicted Wednesday by a Butler County jury on four felony counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm after just over one hour of deliberation, said Butler County Prosecutor Kacey Proctor. One felony count of resisting arrest was acquitted.
Martin faces up to 10 years on each firearm conviction. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 22 in front of Butler County Presiding Judge Michael Pritchett.
Butler County prosecutors were ultimately unable to bring charges related to the suspected meth lab and chemicals recovered in 2020 from Martin’s home in the 100 block of Moonstone Lane, off Highway JJ.
Samples from the property were sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration for testing, Proctor said.
“The DEA determined there weren’t enough chemicals to pursue manufacturing charges,” Proctor said. “Even though the physical components were there, there weren’t enough of the necessary chemicals to create the substance.”
Butler County deputies were originally called to the property Jan. 24, 2020, by members of the children’s division. Children’s division was conducting a well-being check on three juveniles in the home, ranging in age from 11 to about 3. Officials had received information that the children were living in a home where drug paraphernalia was present, as well as unsanitary conditions.
Deputies discovered the suspected meth lab while conducting a search, along with several firearms.
A government-contracted hazardous materials team from Fenton, Missouri, spent two days cleaning up the home. The cost of this was paid for by the DEA.
Authorities at the time said they recovered more than 500 pieces of glassware and laboratory equipment. It was a suspected red phosphorus lab and law enforcement said in excess of 120 different chemicals had been removed.
It was described at the time by law enforcement as one of the most complex suspected labs to be found in the county’s history.
Prosecutors could not introduce any of the evidence relating to the suspected meth lab at trial because no charges were sought in relation to it, Proctor said.
Two sheriff’s department deputies testified against Martin, along with Martin’s son, Proctor said. Martin also testified in his own defense during the one-day trial.
The deputies testified to finding an SKS rifle, a 22-caliber Ruger rifle, a bolt action rifle and a 32-caliber pistol in the home, Proctor said. Deputies also testified that some of the weapons were found in Martin’s bedroom.
Martin testified that none of the weapons were his, Proctor said.
Martin faces up to 40 years in prison on the four felony weapons convictions. The convictions normally would carry up to seven years each, but because of Martin’s prior convictions, he is eligible for enhanced sentencing and up to 10 years on each count, Proctor said. The judge can order these served concurrent or consecutively.
Martin has two previous felony convictions for burglary from the 1990s, one in Butler County and one in Stoddard County.