Sheriff: Two Scott County men arrested on suspicion of meth manufacturing

BENTON, Mo. -- Two Scott County men were arrested late Wednesday on suspicion that they were making methamphetamine at a home near Benton.

Gary Turner, 55, and Robert Raneri, 53, are charged with attempting to manufacture a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to a news release from the Scott County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff Rick Walter said in the news release that the sheriff's office learned about alleged drug activity at Turner's home on Highway 77 between Benton and the Kelly School District's facilities earlier in the week. A search warrant was granted.

Gary Turner

Deputies found Turner and Raneri inside the home with methamphetamine and chemicals and paraphernalia used in the manufacturing process, Walter said. Deputies also found a large hole in the ground containing evidence of prior methamphetamine labs, he said.

A day care facility and a school bus stop are near the home, Walter said.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources was contacted to evaluate contamination from the items found in the hole, Walter said.

Turner's bond was set at $100,000, and Raneri's was set at $50,000.

Pertinent address:

Benton, MO