Calaveras deputies arrest man in murder of neighbor. Hazardous drug lab reported, too
A resident of the Railroad Flat area of Calaveras County faces a charge of murdering a neighbor, along with drug offenses.
Ralph Lee McGaughran, 66, was arrested after the Saturday night shooting on the 600 block of Ridge Road, the Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The victim’s name has not been disclosed. A news release said he died in an ambulance en route to a hospital.
The two men had an earlier dispute over unsafe target shooting on McGaughran’s property, the release said.
Deputies responded to the shooting about 9 p.m. and detained the suspect shortly afterward. They also found illegal marijuana cultivation on both men’s land and on the property in between, the release said. The operations were not believed to be connected.
The release said deputies also found evidence of a butane honey oil extraction lab on McGaughran’s property. Such labs can be used to concentrate marijuana.
“Butane is an extremely flammable gas which can easily ignite if given a source, causing serious injury or death,” the release said.
The Sheriff’s Office reported seizing more than 500 growing marijuana plants and more than 40 pounds of processed marijuana from the three sites. The value was estimated at over $300,000.
McGaughran was booked at the Calaveras County Jail on charges of murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, negligent discharge of firearm, possession of marijuana for sale, maintaining a drug house, and drug manufacturing.
