Randy Branham
WINNSBORO (April 22, 2016) – A Winnsboro man was arrested last week after Narcotics agents with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office discovered a methamphetamine lab in a shop outside his home.
According to a report from the Sheriff’s Office, agents were responding to complaints about suspected drug activity at a home at 176 Doty Road Extension just before 4 p.m. on April 11. Agents were met at the door by Randy Branham, 54, who gave officers consent to search the home.
Branham then told officers his meth-making equipment was located in a shop outside the home, where agents located what the report describes as a “one pot lab.” Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery said the lab was a small “shake-and-bake” operation that consisted of Branham mixing ingredients inside a soda bottle and shaking the bottle to produce the methamphetamine crystals.
Phillips Recoveries, Inc., of Pelzer, was called in to clean up the hazardous materials.
In addition to a small amount of methamphetamine, officers also recovered homemade lab equipment and a package of over-the-counter cold medicine used in the manufacturing of meth.
Officers also discovered that the electrical meter on the outside of the home had been tampered with. The Town of Winnsboro’s Utility Department later told officers that electrical service had been discontinued at the home last September and that Branham had apparently been stealing electricity from the Town since that time.
Branham was arrested and charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, theft of electrical current and tampering with electrical services. He was booked into the Fairfield County Detention Center on April 13 and released the following day on a $25,000 surety bond.
