A Powell woman is facing allegations that she helped her boyfriend manufacture methamphetamine last summer.

Valorie R. Lamb-Harlan, 42, was arrested last week on a felony count of conspiring to operate a clandestine lab.

Harlan is alleged to have helped 39-year-old Richard L. Jones make small batches of meth by purchasing some of the ingredients between July 1 and Aug. 15.

At a Friday court appearance, Circuit Court Judge Bruce Waters set Harlan’s bail at $20,000 cash, the amount recommended by the Park County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Harlan had asked for a signature or surety bond, saying she has a limited income and lives with and helps her parents.

“The problem with this one is your past history is catching up to you; your current history is catching up to you as well,” Waters said.

According to records and statements made in court, Harlan has two prior convictions for possessing a controlled substance and was charged with a third back in August. Harlan has denied the pending misdemeanor possession charge, which alleges she had methamphetamine on Aug. 25.

Court records say the investigation into the alleged meth-making began on Sept. 2, when a pharmacist at Powell Drug told the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation there had been some suspicious purchases of over-the-counter medication containing pseudoephedrine.

Pseudoephedrine is commonly used in cold medicine as a decongestant, but the stimulant can also be used in making methamphetamine. For that reason, federal law requires pharmacies to keep a log of all sales involving the drug.

DCI special agents David Ferguson and Phil Johnson reviewed records at Powell Drug and Shopko; they reportedly found that, between July 1 and Sept. 2, Harlan and Jones bought well over 300 pills containing pseudoephedrine.

According to affidavits from Ferguson used to support charges against the couple, Harlan bought the alleged meth supplies seven times, while Jones made eight purchases. Two different times, Jones and Harlan each bought pseudoephedrine from the same store on the same day, the affidavits say.

The sales logs showed Jones had bought a number of the pills from Powell Drug and Shopko on Sept. 1 and 2, respectively. The following day, DCI agents had the City of Powell’s sanitation department collect the trash behind the North Clark Street residence that Harlan and Jones were sharing.

In the trash, Ferguson said he found what appeared to be the remains of a “one bottle” or “shake-and-bake” meth-making operation. That’s a method in which relatively small amounts are made by mixing toxic chemical inside containers such as pop bottles.

Jones confessed to being involved with cooking meth during a Sept. 4 interview, but claimed he was only helping another man, Ferguson wrote.

Court documents indicate that man was 25-year-old Cole Mattson, who told police he was only a helper for Jones.

Jones and Mattson were arrested in early October and charged with separate felonies relating to meth manufacturing. Both have pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

Agent Ferguson said that in late September, he asked Jones about Harlan’s purchases of the pseudoephedrine.

“I can’t answer that,” Jones reportedly replied. “I can’t do that to her.”

Ferguson’s affidavit accompanying Harlan’s case is dated Oct. 6 — around the time that Jones and Mattson were taken into custody — but the charge wasn’t filed until Dec. 1.

A preliminary hearing for Harlan is tentatively set for Thursday.