By Bronte Price, PoliticKING
Emily Pitha, an independent political consultant working for Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign, was arrested during a drug bust at her home in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday afternoon.
Detectives discovered an active meth lab, along with unspecified quantities of LSD, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, about $7,000 cash and counterfeit money, according to Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Detective Doug Matteson. Police made the arrest after Pitha’s boyfriend signed for a package that contained more than 250 grams of MDMA.
Republican fundraiser Emily Pitha, former @SenJonKyl staffer, arrested in Phoenix drug bust. https://t.co/xblnhtmG08pic.twitter.com/rRmrKPRBO8
— Dan Nowicki (@dannowicki) April 27, 2016
“Also in the backyard were the beginning stages of a building they were building with a fake wall that would possibly to be used for growing illegal marijuana,” Mattheson said. The detective also said that there were bomb making materials on the property, according to KPHO/KTVK.
The children, who are five and 10 years old, “had easy access to all of (the) drugs and materials, even the bomb-making materials that were located in the back with the meth lab,” Mattheson said. Pitha and Hustrulid are reportedly expected to face numerous drug violations, in addition to possible child endangerment charges.
McCain’s campaign manager, Ryan O’Daniel, said in a statement, “We commend the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement officers in their fight to keep our community safe from illegal drugs and associated criminal activity.” The statement continued, “The campaign immediately terminated any relationship with Ms. Pitha upon learning of her alleged involvement in the operation.”
McCain fundraiser arrested in meth-lab bust in Phoenix: The campaign has cut ties with Emily Pitha, 34, since... https://t.co/rD8wW8Wa5j
— Arizona Politics (@arizonapolitics) April 27, 2016
Pitha previously worked for Ambassador Barbara Barrett, Senator Jeff Flake, and Senator Jon Kyl.Flake’s communications director, Jason Samuels, said in a statement, “Following Sen. Kyl’s retirement, Emily Pitha was retained as a constituent services representative in the Phoenix office from January through March 2013.”
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