MILWAUKEE — Neighbors on Milwaukee's northwest side say they had no idea what police allege was happening behind the doors of a home near 46th Street and Glendale Avenue.
They described the block as quiet and the people living at the home as typical neighbors who would wave or say hello and nothing, they said, appeared suspicious.
But a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County describes a much different picture inside the home.
Watch: Milwaukee County court administrator suspended after drug trafficking charge
According to the complaint, Milwaukee police were conducting an undercover narcotics investigation involving Rodney Matthews and Terrion Matthews on Aug. 11 when officers began surveilling the property.
Investigators say a later search of the home uncovered nearly 1.9 kilograms of substances that field-tested positive for fentanyl, cocaine or both. Police also reported finding hydraulic presses, multiple blenders, digital scales, packaging materials, suspected cutting agents and a handgun.
The complaint says residue found on some of the blenders field-tested positive for fentanyl. Investigators said the quantity of suspected narcotics and the equipment found inside were consistent with the property being used to package, store and manufacture narcotics for sale.
The substances described in the complaint were identified through field testing. The complaint does not indicate that final laboratory testing had confirmed those results.
Two high-speed pursuits
The investigation also led to two separate police pursuits involving Rodney and Terrion Matthews.
Police say Terrion Matthews left the 46th Street home in an Acura shortly after 3:20 p.m. Officers attempted to stop him, but prosecutors allege he fled, reaching speeds of up to 97 mph, driving into oncoming traffic and disregarding traffic signals before officers lost sight of the vehicle.
The complaint says officers later located the abandoned Acura while tracking Terrion Matthews through a GPS ankle monitor.
Minutes later, investigators say Rodney Matthews left the same home in a BMW. Police allege he later picked up Terrion Matthews and led officers on a second pursuit that reached more than 100 mph on residential streets, entered oncoming traffic and narrowly missed pedestrians.
That pursuit ended when the BMW struck a traffic signal. Rodney Matthews was taken into custody, and Terrion Matthews was identified as the passenger.
Rodney and Terrion Matthews now face multiple felony charges stemming from the investigation.
Homeowner and court employee charged
A third defendant, Samotria Matthews, is identified in court documents as the owner of the 46th Street property.
She faces one felony count of maintaining a drug trafficking place as a party to a crime. She is not charged in the complaint with possessing the drugs or firearm or participating in either police pursuit.
Matthews' LinkedIn profile lists her as a deputy division administrator with the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court.
The Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court's Office confirmed to TMJ4 that Matthews is currently suspended.
TMJ4 has also asked the Clerk's Office for additional information about Matthews' job responsibilities and whether her access to courthouse facilities or court computer systems has been revoked but have not gotten those answers.
In a statement to TMJ4, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley's office stressed that the Clerk of Circuit Court does not report to the county executive.
“While this individual and the Clerk of Courts Office do not report to the Milwaukee County Executive in any way, David expects every Milwaukee County employee to uphold the highest standards of conduct and accountability. We will allow the legal process to proceed and respect the appropriate authorities handling this matter.”
'Nothing stood out'
For the people living around the 46th Street property, the allegations came without warning.
Several neighbors spoke with TMJ4 but asked not to be identified because of safety concerns surrounding the seriousness of the case.
They described the neighborhood as quiet and said they rarely see police unless someone calls for help.
Neighbors told TMJ4 they believed the people they had seen living at the property had been there for roughly six months. They said they would regularly wave or exchange greetings with them and noticed no unusual traffic or other activity that raised suspicions.
To them, they were simply neighbors. That sense of normalcy now stands in sharp contrast to what investigators allege they discovered inside the home.
All three defendants have been charged. As of TMJ4's reporting Monday, none had yet made an initial court appearance. The allegations have not been proven in court.
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