Dustin Germaine Arrested On Meth Charges

Dustin Wells Germaine, 28, was arrested early Friday morning and charged with producing methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Germaine, the son of Bob Germaine, Highlands County Clerk of Courts, is the fifth person arrested in connection with an alleged meth lab that was found Wednesday at 1108 Denise Ave.

Tracee Brown, 18, of 1727 Dinner Lake Drive, Sebring; Joseph Nicklaus, 24, of 120 Jasmine Ave., Lake Placid; Fernando Chaidez, 29, of Fort Meade; and Edwin Townsend, 31, of 2901 Townsend Road, Avon Park, were previously arrested and face the same charges as Germaine.

Information from the Highlands County Property Appraiser's Web site lists the property owners at 1108 Denise Ave., as Robert W. "Bob" Germaine and Dustin W. Germaine.

Bob Germaine said Thursday afternoon that he had bought the house for his son Dustin, 28.

Capt. Randy LaBelle, with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, said Dustin Germaine was arrested around 1 a.m., Friday at a home on Elson Avenue.

"We've been actively looking for him since the event on Denise Avenue," he said.

LaBelle added that one person ran out of the back of the house when officers with the Sebring Police Department (SPD) first arrived at the Denise Avenue home Wednesday afternoon. He believes Germaine was that person.

The HCSO came to the scene after officers allegedly found items used in the making of meth. K-9 units were brought in to try and find the other person, but by then, "too much time had gone by," according to LaBelle.

SPD went to the Denise Avenue home during an investigation into an illegal trash dumping at the Little Froggies Convenience Store.

At the home, they reportedly found spoons, cigarette filters, syringes, coffee filters, muriatic acid and pills.

The Little Froggies dumpster was searched and tubes, bottles, lithium battery cases, pill blister packs, syringes and empty boxes of medication that contained Pseudoephedrine were found, according to an arrest report.

LaBelle said the investigation is continuing into the discovery of the lab, but he is not expecting any additional arrests.