Officials said three meth labs were discovered in two days in Citrus County.
The first lab was located Thursday at 1:30 at a home on E. Scott Lane in Dunnellon. Detectives said they had received a complaint from the Department of Children and Families regarding the manufacture and use of methamphetamines at the home.
When they arrived at the house, they found the girlfriend of Sean P. Kinney, 50, who was at the home with her teenage daughter. She told deputies that Kinney had just left the house to go to a probationary group meeting, and she allowed the deputies to look around the house, the arrest affidavit said.
Deputies said they found a "burn pile" near the house that included burnt remnants from items commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine, as well as the binder from a one-pot operation.
When Kinney returned home, deputies said he admitted to making methamphetamine inside the home two or three times, and that when he did so, the teenager was never present. Deputies said Kinney and his girlfriend both admitted to using methamphetamine.
Kinney was arrested on two felony charges. Bond was set at $100,000. The teenager was removed from the home and placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.
The second lab was found at a home on Carl Rose Highway in Hernando, shortly before 11 a.m. Friday.
Five people were arrested at the home: Roger Churchill, 27; Yahaira Acosta, 33; Douglas Sturtz, 32; David Whitley, 36; and Rachelle Baker, 48. All of them are facing felony drug charges.
The final lab was found at a home on East Lake Park Drive in Hernando. No arrests were made as a result of this discovery.
Deputies said that it began to rain while crews were cleaning up the third lab, and one of the hazardous items came into contact with rainwater, causing the item to spontaneously combust. Officials said the unspecified item was small enough to control.
Officials said that so far this year, 52 methamphetamine labs have been discovered and seized in Citrus County.