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Woman cleared on six of seven charges

It took a Schuylkill County jury about 90 minutes Wednesday to find a Tuscarora woman accused of helping operate a meth lab in the basement of a Pottsville home not guilty of six of the seven charges.

Jada Lynn McClure, 29, was found guilty of possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine.After almost a day and a half of listening to testimony, the jury found her not guilty of conspiracy, possession with intent to manufacture a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.President Judge William E. Baldwin ordered a pre-sentence investigation before imposing punishment. McClure remains free on $25,000 bail.The trial began Tuesday morning, and the jury began deliberating at 11:05 a.m. Wednesday.Jurors came back into the courtroom at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday to ask Baldwin to explain the difference between being an accomplice and being a conspirator.McClure was represented by Claude A.L. Shields of Pottsville. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Robert I. Lipkin.According to an affidavit of probable cause filed with District Judge James Reiley of Pottsville by Pottsville police officer Mark D. O'Toole, here's what happened:On May 13, 2014, police were at 218 N. 12th St. investigating the theft of prescription pills. Before they got there, they learned the house was without power and running water.Police talked with homeowner Margaret Ney. After their investigation had no results, police asked about the utilities.Ney, whose address is listed as New Philadelphia, told them there were none.Police contacted city code enforcement officer Justin Trefsgar and asked him to inspect the home and deem it unfit to live in.Ney, 61, was at the home, along with McClure and Carla Wingle. Ney told them no one else was there.Trefsgar went into the home when Justin Koons appeared from inside. Ney said she didn't know he was there, and was now not sure if anyone else was there.Because of that, police went in to perform a "protective sweep" of the house to make sure it was safe for Trefsgar to inspect.Trefsgar told police he had smelled a strong odor of ammonia in the basement, and had seen in plain view empty pseudoephedrine packets; water bottles containing liquid and a white, chunky substance; and numerous chemical bottles.O'Toole recognized the combination of the chemical smell and the paraphernalia as indicative of a meth lab.Trefsgar and the police left the house.Ney consented to a search of the house. Photos of the paraphernalia were sent to Cpl. John Caciano of the State Police Clandestine Laboratory Response Team.Ney waived her Miranda rights and admitted the items were used to make meth. She said she had been making the drug for about two months, making about 1.5 grams at a time every 10 to 12 days. She told police she had made the last batch on May 9, 2014.Ney told police she bought most of the chemicals needed to make meth from local stores. She told them that McClure bought the pseudoephedrine from a local drugstore because Ney had lost her identification, which is required to buy the chemical, a common ingredient in over-the-counter decongestants such as Sudafed.McClure waived her Miranda rights and told police she had been staying at Ney's house for about three weeks and admitted to buying the pseudoephedrine for Ney. She said she knew what the chemical was to be used for, and that Ney, not she, made the meth.After the CLRT removed the chemicals from the house, Caciano told O'Toole that his team had recovered lithium, ammonium nitrate and pseudoephedrine, all used to make methamphetamine.Ney pleaded guilty in March to numerous drug-related charges. She is free on $25,000 unsecured bail while awaiting sentencing.