A man who was charged with operating a meth lab and having bombs at his residence in Falls Township had his preliminary hearing this week.
Donald Barger, 61, had charges of operating a methamphetamine lab, storing chemical waste, risking catastrophe, possessing explosives, possessing an incapacitation device, possession of a prohibited firearm and other related offenses forwarded to Doylestown following a preliminary hearing before District Judge Jan Vislosky this week.
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Police detailed in court papers that they found cameras, a loaded Taurus semiautomatic handgun, sandwich bags with suspected drug residue, pills, drug paraphernalia, a VHS labeled “Meth Tape Government Save,” audio recorders, an audio recorder make to look like a pen inside the first floor of the home. On a shelving unit investigators said they found a funnel, BB pellets, ball bearings, a blow dart gun, projectiles for the dart gun, a large machete, CO2 containers, fuses, black powder and other items. Authorities added they found hoses, chemicals, a gas cylinder from a veterinarian and other items in the basement.
Explosives lined with shrapnel were discovered in Falls and police cleared the residence and called the Pennsylvania State Police East Regional Clandestine Laboratory Team and the Philadelphia Police Department Bomb Disposal Unit.
The bomb squad arrived on the scene and said the two explosive devices could have caused “serious bodily injury or death.”
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An informant told police Barger “cooks’ methamphetamine inside the house, police said. They informant also said Barger was “ultra-paranoid.”
Police said there were a number of detection devices, such as cameras around the house. According to court papers, the cameras were connected to monitors inside.
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The informant told police they would often hear pots and pans in the meth lab in the basement along with voices, according to court papers. Music was reportedly played to mask the noises.
Barger was arrested inside a trailer on Hunter Drive in the Morrisville section of the township and interviewed by investigators. The 61-year-old admitted there was a “line of meth” in his bedroom, in addition to admitting to having illegal methamphetamine precursor chemicals in his house, police said. He allegedly also said he used to cook methamphetamine in the house.
Barger told police he made and owned the homemade explosives in Co2 containers but said he did not intend to hurt anyone with them, court papers say.
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A car belonging to Barger was confiscated and found to have a stun gun in the door pocket, police said.
As for the illegal handgun, Barger said he kept it for protection after someone gave it to him, police said. Court records revealed to authorities that Barger was barred from owning firearms due to a previous conviction.
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Barger is currently in county prison unable to post 10 percent of $150,000.
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