By Lori EhdeA 50-year-old man is in custody after law enforcement seized the makings of a meth lab from an acreage a couple miles south of Beaver Creek.Marvin James Kolsrud was arrested Thursday, June 19, when authorities executed a search warrant at his home.Rock County deputies had been previously alerted to possible meth production at the acreage, but they said an informant under investigation in South Dakota provided a solid lead that prompted the warrant.According to Rock County Deputy Jeff Wieneke, the informant said he had first-hand knowledge that Kolsrud was operating a meth lab in his attic and that he kept a loaded sawed-off shotgun in the house.Because of the weapons risk, Wieneke said the Southwest Minnesota High Risk Entry Team of roughly 10 different officers entered Kolsrud’s residence unannounced at 10:22 p.m.With law enforcement weapons drawn, Kolsrud cooperated immediately, according to Wieneke, who is a member of the Entry Team."We haven’t had many arrests like these where they’re not compliant," Wieneke said.He said Kolsrud told them where the lab was and where he kept his weapon."It went pretty smoothly. I was pretty happy about that and that nobody got hurt," Wieneke said.According to court documents, Kolsrud told law enforcement that he had "cooked a batch" of meth the previous night and intended to "cook another batch" that evening after stealing anhydrous ammonia from the elevator in Beaver Creek.He said he usually "cooks a batch" once a week, or "whenever he needs some money." Each "batch" results in 8 to 10 grams of finished meth, worth about $800.Kolsrud at one time was a trucker, but he is now reportedly unemployed.Assisting with the arrest were six Rock County Deputies, including Wieneke, one BCA agent from St. Paul, two South Dakota officers, and a deputy from Lyon County."It was a team effort," Wieneke said. "It takes a lot of people to take down a meth lab."Wieneke, who left the scene at 2:45 a.m. Friday, said from the time the search warrant was signed at 8:30 p.m. to the time the scene was cleared the following afternoon, various law enforcement were involved in the process.Friday morning, Rock County deputies donned protective suits and cleared the house of meth lab components.Among those were ephedrine, muratic acid, ammonia, lithium batteries, tinfoil, coffee filters with residue, plastic bags, drain cleaners and glass smoking devices. Also found were eight jars of various liquids consistent in appearance with liquids produced during the manufacturing process.Later Friday morning, an environmental cleanup crew from North Dakota, which requested anonymity, sorted through the items, testing contents of bottles and jars, and removing hazardous materials.The North Dakota official pointed to a 20-pound propane tank and said meth producers siphon anhydrous ammonia from tanks that farmers leave unattended in fields or from tanks at local farm elevators."Most of what you see here can be found at any hardware store," he said, holding a bottle of ephedrine pills in his hand.Wieneke said law enforcement has been working with local farmers and businesses to more closely monitor these supplies.Mike Sandager, who has been renting the acreage to Kolsrud since April, said this isn’t his tenants first brush with the law. After repeated visits by deputies responding to domestic violence in the home, Sandager said he had warned Kolsrud that another incident would result in his eviction.Outside of that, though, Sandager said Kolsrud has been a good renter, getting the acreage cleaned up and mowed, and always paying his rent on time — with cash."I know his family and I go to church with his family," Sandager said. "I guess I’m just too trusting."Kolsrud is the fifth person arrested in the Beaver Creek and Valley Springs area on drug charges in the past few years. Law enforcement speculates that low-cost rental acreages and the proximity to the South Dakota border may be common denominators.Kolsrud spent the weekend in jail and appeared Monday in Rock County District Court on felony charges of manufacturing and possessing meth.The maximum penalty for the more serious crime of manufacturing meth is 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.Also home at the time of his arrest were Kolsrud’s girlfriend, Georgia Redd, and her adult son and his adult friend. No charges have been filed against them at this time.Kolsrud’s bond has been set at $20,000, and as of this writing, he remains in the Prairie Justice Center, Worthington.
