Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Two Arrested With Rolling Meth Lab
Two local men were taken into police custody in the early hours Sunday after they were found to have an active meth lab inside their vehicle.
Reports filed through the Lawrenceburg Police Department show that an officer initiated a traffic stop just before 3:00 a.m. near the May Street/Smith Avenue intersection.
The officer said it appeared that the window tint on the vehicle was darker than allowed by state law.
During the stop the officer reports that the passenger, Rodney Shawn Allen, 43, of 204 West Laurell Drive, “Exhibited signs of meth use.” Those signs included excessive talking and movement, and nervousness.
He reports noticing items lying in plain view in the bed of the truck, including Liquid Fire drain cleaner and plastic tubing; two key components commonly associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine.
After obtaining permission to conduct a search of the vehicle officers report opening the passenger door to find a “shake bottle” in which meth is made. They report that the items constituted an active rolling meth lab.
Seized during the search were 2.5 grams of meth along with coffee filters, a meth pipe with meth inside, digital scales, and a box of plastic baggies. The vehicle and a cell phone were also seized.
Officers report that two 20 oz. shake bottles were found inside the vehicle, but only one contained an active lab. They report, “The ‘shake’ bottle with all of the components inside had already been through the reaction process.” They said the common yield for a lab of this type and size is 3.5 grams.
Allen was placed under arrest along with driver Jarrod Alexander Franks, 22, of 607 Weakley Creek Road.
Both were booked at the Lawrence County Detention Center under charges of violation of the window tint law, initiating methamphetamine manufacturing, and possession of Schedule II narcotics (meth) for the purpose of resale.
Bond for both men was set at $85,000.
