OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man arrested in March after police located a methamphetamine lab in a room at a bayfront hotel at 59th Street pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to five years, all of which was suspended but the time he spent in jail awaiting trial.
In March, Ocean City Police arrested Andrew Windsor, 29, of Ocean City, for allegedly operating a meth lab in one of the units of the Coconut Malorie Hotel on 59th Street. On Wednesday, Windsor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess controlled dangerous substance (CDS) production equipment used to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to five years. The judge then suspended all of the sentence but the time Windsor spent in jail awaiting trial, which was a little over six months.
Around 1 p.m. on March 13, Ocean City police and fire personnel responded to the hotel on 59th Street to investigate an individual possibly in possession of materials used to manufacture methamphetamine. OCPD officers responded to a room within the hotel and met with the suspect, identified as Windsor.
Due to the possible imminent danger of the chemicals used to manufacture meth, the Ocean City Fire Department evacuated two floors of the hotel. While evacuating the building, OCPD officers found a trash bag filled with liquid chemical substances and other various items used to manufacture meth in a stairwell.
Fumes were coming from the bag due to a chemical reaction, but the trash bag was quickly made safe by Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office personnel. Detectives from the OCPD Criminal Investigation Division Narcotics Unit responded and obtained a search warrant for the residence. A search was conducted by the Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Enforcement Team and the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office, which revealed equipment and component mixtures commonly used in the manufacturing stages of methamphetamine.
Windsor was charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of products used to manufacture meth and reckless endangerment. Detectives also determined Windsor was wanted on an extraditable warrant out of the state of Florida although the disposition of that case is not known.
