FAIRMONT — A Fairmont man is facing a felony charge in Martin County.

Randy Allen Merrill, 48, has been charged with drug possession in the fifth degree, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Aug. 22, Fairmont police officers were dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of East Blue Earth Avenue on a report of a domestic assault in progress.

Upon arrival, officers heard yelling and encountered Merrill and an adult female near a camper in the backyard. An officer heard the woman yell at Merrill to take his stuff, before getting up to walk away with Merrill following her.

The officer observed a clear tube in Merrill’s hand as Merrill began to walk away. A Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy grabbed Merrill’s left arm and Merrill threw the tube against the camper causing the glass to break.

The officer observed the tube had a white residue in it and appeared to be a meth pipe. The pipe later tested positive for meth.

Merrill was place under arrest. During this time, he said the pipe belonged to the woman. She also was placed under arrest for suspicion of domestic assault against Merrill.

Later, a relative of the woman told officers that the woman had been using meth since January, and the both she and Merrill have been smoking meth around the house. The relative brought the officer a broken pipe that was discovered in the upstairs sink. It tested positive for meth.

The relative also brought the officer a baggie with a white crystal substance and an Altoids container containing two orange pills. The relative indicated she had found the items in the garage. The crystal substance tested positive for meth.

Merrill was later interviewed and admitted to smoking meth earlier that morning out of his own meth pipe. He denied knowing about the meth from the garage. Merrill also indicated the orange pills were Adderall, and they belonged to a relative’s friend who had left them at the house.

The woman also was later interviewed and admitted to using meth that morning. She indicated she used out of the pipe that Merrill had been holding when officers arrived.