HAMBDEN TOWNSHIP - - More than 50 federal and Geauga County law enforcement
officers swooped down Friday morning raiding an operating methamphetamine
lab on a rural township road ending in the arrest of 41-year-old Ernest Earl
Corrigan.
Corrigan was arrested by agents with the U.S. Treasury Department, Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms division (ATF). Federal agents with Geauga County
sheriffs deputies surrounded the house at 14367 Sisson Road shortly before
8:45 a.m.
Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland said the raid was peaceful. Corrigan
surrendered after agents knocked on the front door. McClelland said law
enforcement officers including Trumbull, Ashtabula and Geauga (TAG) law
enforcement task force were deployed near the house before the raid.
The raid took place after officers saw Corrigan's 32-year-old wife leave to
take three children, ages 10, 11 and 14, to Chardon area schools. McClelland
said the wife was not aware of what was about to take place.
While hazardous chemicals clean-up teams from Ashtabula and Pittsburgh, were
checking the house, the couples baby-sitter came running up the road. She
was met by deputies and ATF officers and questioned.
This was not Corrigan collision with federal authorities. He spent time in a
federal prison in Colorado on gun and drug related charges, ATF senior agent
specialist, Patrick Beraducci said. ATF officials confiscated 11 firearms
from the Hambden house, including a military assault rifle, one handgun,
eight shotguns and rifles.
Corrigan was not permitted to have any weapons because of his criminal
history and convictions on firearms and drug, Beraducci said.
Corrigan appeared Friday afternoon before U.S. District Court magistrate
Patricia Hemann in Cleveland.
He was ordered held without bond for pretrial detention on the charges of
possession of firearms under a disability and possession of firearms while
dealing in the illegal manufacturing of drugs (methamphetamine). Corrigan
will appear at an initial hearing at 2 p.m. Tuesday before Hemann again in
U.S. District Court in Cleveland.
At that time bond and a pretrial date can be set relating to the federal
charges, Beraducci said.
"The raid went very peaceful and no one was injured. We've been watching
Corrigan with undercover agents for a year. Federal agents were called to
assist because of Corrigan's prior record," the sheriff said referring to
what led up to the raid.
Corrigan has rented the sprawling two-story house from a Cleveland couple
for the past two years, the sheriff said.
"As the officers got inside, Corrigan had one batch of meth ready to cook.
He makes one to two batches every other day we know. I believe he's a big
supplier. On a scale of 1-10, he's an eight," McClelland said.
"This is the first operating meth lab we've raided in our county,"
McClelland said. "We have made arrests on mobile meth labs. This is a pretty
elaborate lab and the chemicals used are dangerous and explosive. Were glad
to put it out of business and send a good message to others known to be
here."
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