Rebecca Marshall
A woman from Rossville, Ga. was arrested after East Ridge Police said she was discovered running a meth lab out of a motel room at the Crown Inn in East Ridge on June 17.
Police responded to what they initially thought was a robbery of a motel on Ringgold Road. This resulted in a chase until the two suspects, Rebecca Marshall and Edward Venable, eventually crashed their vehicle.
While some officers were in pursuit, other officers were securing the scene at the motel.
During this time, smoke detectors started going off and the motel staff noticed strange smells.
Motel staff told police that the two suspects had fled room 262, holding a cooler.
Inside the room, the carpet was still burning and one bed had been partially burned. The room was rented by Ms. Marshall.
Police investigators believe the cause of the fire was a failed one-pot meth lab. Police found numerous coffee filters, lithium battery skins, a glass jar, and a receipt for purchased medicine containing pseudoephedrine, all items consistent with the one pot manufacture method.
Police also said the burn marks on the carpet were consistent with the reaction vessel bursting and spewing flammable materials to the side.
Ms. Marshall and her husband, Jonathan Marshall, were both found to have purchased pseudoephedrine on the day of the incident.
Ms. Marshall was charged with aggravated arson. Bond was set at $10,000.