CLINTON — An alleged assault led to the arrest of two Clinton men for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.

According to court documents, the Clinton police have been conducting a methamphetamine investigation on Jeramie J. Bussie, 27, 2819 Garfield St., apartment three, and Michael R. Fenzel Jr., 20, 1130 Buell Ave., since Jan. 1. The investigation revealed that the two defendants have purchased large amounts of pseudoephedrine, according to court documents.

Fenzel and Bussie were arrested Monday afternoon, after police received the report of an assault at 2819 Garfield St. Bussie is charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy to manufacture meth. Fenzel Jr. is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiracy to manufacture meth.

According to the affidavit, the victim told officers that he was in the hallway out of apartment two in the building, when Bussie allegedly came at him with a knife and displayed it in a threatening manner. The victim also told police that Bussie had been trying to purchase his prescription drugs and he refused.

“I either want your dope or I want you,” the victim told police that Bussie said, according to the affidavit.

The alleged victim told officers that Bussie was close enough to stab him and he fled in fear for his life, according to court documents. He added that Bussie ran into apartment three.

Upon arrival, officers found Fenzel Jr. attempting to leave the area, according to court documents. According to court documents, officers saw Bussie crawl out a second-floor window onto the roof in an attempt to prevent being seen by law enforcement. Officer Anthony Stone ordered Bussie to come back inside through the window and arrested him for aggravated assault.

Upon arrival at Bussie’s apartment, officers observed drug paraphernalia in plain view, according to the affidavit. This included a syringe, Coleman camping fuel, a small Ziploc-type baggie with a coffee filter in it and other items used in the manufacturing of meth, according to the affidavit.

A search revealed several cans of Coleman camping fuel, plastic tubing, lithium batteries, coffee filters, lye drain cleaner, assorted tubes for snorting, mirrors with white residue and other paraphernalia, according to court documents. According to the affidavit, officers also found in the kitchen cabinet a tray with wire cutters, pliers, plastic tubing, iodized table salt, sandwich bags and a Ziploc-type bag containing cold packs.

According to Narcotic Detective Michael Adney, in his affidavit, his training and experience tells him it is common for manufacturers of meth to use wire cutters and pliers to strip lithium batteries to get the lithium inside, which would be used to make meth with the “one pot” or “shake and bake” method. It is also common for those who use the shake and bake method to use the ammonium nitrate found in cold packs, according to the affidavit.

Coffee filters and lithium batteries were found in the bathroom, as well as an unknown liquid in a Ziploc-type bag, according to court documents. A small and a large bag containing meth were found to be concealed in the top portion of the toilet, according to court documents. The small bag found in the toilet had the same green markings on it as another bag found in the search, which also contained a small amount of meth residue, according to the affidavit. During a search of Bussie’s person, officers found him to be in possession of a few small Ziploc-type baggies, one of which had green markings on it similar to the ones found in the apartment, according to the affidavit.

According to court documents, officers found lithium batteries and razor blades in Fenzel Jr.’s backpack on his person as he was attempting to leave. The batteries were the same brand and size as those found during the search of the apartment. A small “foil” containing meth residue was also found on his person, according to court documents. A check of psuedoephedrine purchase records showed that Fenzel Jr. and Bussie purchased these pills on the same day, within nearly 10 minutes of each other on at least three occasions since October, according to court documents.

Bussie and Fenzel Jr. are currently being held in the Clinton County jail on $50,000 bond. Their pretrial hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 28.