Fort Morgan – A city councilman was arrested on charges of making and selling drugs after police raided a suspected methamphetamine lab at his home, authorities said Friday.
Mike Mese, 35, was being held without bail on charges of manufacture, possession, sale and distribution of drugs, possession of materials to make methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police Chief Keith Kuretich said officers raided Mese’s home Thursday night after receiving a tip. He said Mese was arrested at the home.
Mese works at a Fort Morgan hardware store, Kuretich said.
When Mese ran for a council seat in 2001, he told The Fort Morgan Times he had been convicted of a felony drug charge three years earlier. “I have paid my dues and moved on with my life,” he was quoted as saying.
Mayor Jack Darnell told The Times he will discuss Mese’s future on the council with the city attorney. Mese’s term expires in January.
“This is one of the toughest days I have had as mayor,” Darnell said.
Fort Morgan, a town of about 11,000 people, is 70 miles northeast of Denver.
