Thursday, November 13, 2014
Meth Lab Seized, Two Face Charges
A tip led law enforcement officials to seize a meth lab at a West Point Road property Tuesday and two men have been charged in connection with the operation.
According to reports filed through the Lawrenceburg Police Department detectives had received information that led them to confront twenty-six year old Cody Wayne Laws at his 996 West Point Road home.
When they arrived, agents report noticing that Laws was armed. They asked that he be disarmed for their safety and he handed over a 9mm handgun. After they obtained permission to conduct a search of the premises they report that Laws said he was "afraid of what they might find in the shed."
He told them that "there are several people that go into that shed." They asked him whether there was a meth lab in the shed and he said that "he didn't know, but there might be."
Agents report that inside the shed they found a duffle bag inside a wooden box. Inside they found four feet of tubing, Coleman fuel, liquid fire, glass quart jars, a jar of clear liquid with a white residue, an empty pack of pseudoephedrine, an empty cold compress box, coffee filters, a funnel, scissors, plastic bags, and bottle caps. A trash bag sitting beside the duffle bag reportedly held three gas generators.
In addition, agents report seizing several items from Laws' bedroom, including a marijuana pipe, ½ of a suboxone strip, and several straws used to consume narcotics. Also seized were five additional firearms and ammunition.
Laws admitted that he had purchased the liquid fire at a Lawrenceburg business a few days prior at the request of his mother's boyfriend. He said that he knew when he purchased it that he likely wished to use it to make meth.
Laws was arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Detention Center where he was booked under charges that include possession of schedule III narcotics, promotion of the manufacture of meth, and initiation of a process to manufacture meth.
Afterwards, agents made their way to the home where the boyfriend of Laws' mother, identified as Derek Lincoln Brown, age 30, of 110 Beartown Road in Loretto, resides.
When they initially made contact, they report noticing a strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from within the house. The house was subsequently secured to protect any evidence and a search warrant was obtained.
Brown reportedly informed agents about contraband kept inside his bedroom including marijuana pills and drug paraphernalia. During a K-9 search agents found one gram of marijuana, a marijuana cigarette, oxycodone pills, 26 used syringes, spoons bearing drug residue, a meth pipe, plastic baggies with residue, and other items of contraband.
Brown was placed under arrest on charges of possession of schedule III narcotics, promotion of the manufacture of meth, and initiation of a process to manufacture meth.
He was additionally written citations on charges of simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was incarcerated at the Lawrence County Detention Center under a $40,000 bond.
Because Brown's son was present inside the home when officers discovered the burnt marijuana smoke, a referral was made to the Department of Children's Services.
Both Laws and Brown are scheduled to make an initial appearance in General Sessions Court on December 5, 2014.
