A man indicted on federal drug charges in connection with what police say is the first methamphetamine lab found in Anne Arundel County in recent memory pleaded not guilty yesterday in federal court in Baltimore.
Christopher James Marshall, 27, of Stevensville was indicted by a federal grand jury in September. He was arrested on Christmas Eve.
The charges stem from a Aug. 22 raid on a suspected meth lab in Severna Park. Also indicted was Brian Kauffmann, 33, who maintained the lab in a garage at a Severna Park residence, police said in charging documents. He pleaded not guilty to nine drug charges Nov. 18.
Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner ordered Marshall released to a 28-day drug program and then to an approved after-care facility. The U.S. attorney's office argued that Marshall should remain in federal detention.
"He's been involved with heroin since his early 20s," said his attorney, Joseph J. Gigliotti. "We've got to get him into a program and away from meth and from heroin."
Marshall's parents and his stepmother were visibly relieved that their son was released to a drug treatment program. "He has a drug problem," said his stepmother, Kathleen Marshall, after the proceedings. "But in no way is he a mastermind behind this."
Authorities have alleged that Marshall and Kauffman were also linked to a second meth lab found in Millersville in December, but neither man has been charged in connection with that lab.
