Virginians Spiced Up Florida Vacation with Pot of Meth, Cops Say

A Virginia couple’s Florida vacation now includes a layover at the Hernando County Jail courtesy of an anonymous tip sent to police over the weekend.

Hernando deputies went to the Budget Inn, 1795 E. Jefferson St., early Sunday morning after receiving a tip that an out-of-town couple might be making meth in their room.

When deputies knocked on the door, the couple opened and a one-pot meth lab was visible inside the room, an email to media said. The room’s occupants were taken into custody.

Rebecca Looney, 33, of New Castle, Va., told deputies her male companion, Benjamin Welsh, 35, was making the meth. Deputies say the drugs were for the couple’s personal use.

Deputies dismantled the lab, which included a HCL generator, tubing and a pill grinder. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office had to be called in to help package and transport the lab’s chemicals for safe disposal, the email said.

Welsh was charged with producing methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance and giving false identification to a law enforcement officer. He was being held at the Hernando County Jail in lieu of $7,500 bond Monday. Looney was charged with resisting arrest and was being held on $500 bond.

Photo Credit: Benjamin Welsh and Rebecca Looney/Hernando County Jail