'Breaking Bad' hits home: Meth Lab in Butler County
Thursday, two OPD officers searching for a fugitive were directed to room 25 at the Butler Inn, 5235 College Corner Pike, whereupon they found not the suspect, but a meth lab.
According to OPD, the dispatcher advised the officers of suspicions the room's occupants were involved in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The manager provided OPD with the renters' information and said certain residents of the trailer park come and go from the room at all times, day and night. He said his suspicion was piqued when a drug-fueled degenerate known to OPD visited room 25 the day prior. When asked by officers if the occupants may be manufacturing meth in the motel he manages, he replied, "It's possible."
The manager indicated he checks the rooms routinely, but the occupants often took a great deal of time to let him in. Indeed, when OPD knocked, they were greeted by a drawn-out, singsong "Who is it?" as the male and female occupants delayed opening the door. After requesting the male, by name, to exit, the suspect slipped through the door and stood on the threshold in his boxer shorts.
Finding this Breaking Bad-esque display unsavory, the officer asked the suspect if he would like to put on a pair of pants. As he did so, the female stood before a barely open door and made small talk with an officer. The male consented to a search of the room, and also made incessant small talk throughout.
As the suspects stood watch between the two beds, officers found the room in disarray. The small talk abruptly ended when an officer lifted a suspiciously lumpy blanket to reveal a jug of chemicals. When asked its purpose, the man became extremely nervous and froze, according to OPD. As the pair's genius "hide it under the covers" ruse collapsed before their petrified eyes, OPD found several additional containers containing chemicals used to cook meth.
The smoking gun was a Gatorade bottle containing a red sludge, indicating to officers the duo was making a "one pot cook" (also called "shake and bake"). This method produces a smaller batch of meth than a riskier large cook. The male suspect persisted in his "nervous, frozen demeanor," according to OPD, and was placed in handcuffs along with his partner, ironically named Crystal.
OPD asked a nearby occupant to vacate his room and the fire department was called and advised of the situation. The Butler Undercover Regional Narcotics (BURN) taskforce arrived and processed the scene. According to OPD, "one Oxford Police officer sustained a minor injury from exposure to the chemicals involved." The Fire Department decontaminated the suspects and placed them in chemical suits, a simultaneous finishing touch and coup de grâce to their Breaking Bad illusion. They were each charged with Illegal Manufacture of Drugs and Illegal Assembly of Possession of Chemicals for the Manufacture of Drugs. They were taken to Butler County Jail.
Men escape from brawl outside Skyline
At 12:08 a.m. Friday, an OPD officer working a private detail at Skyline Chili, 1 E. High St., was alerted of an active, unspooling brawl on the sidewalk.
He found five to six men entangled in a Looney Tunes-esque cloud of fists and elbows. The officer requested several times the males stop fighting. As the punching, pushing and shoving continued, the officer restrained a white male.
As the officer restrained the man, another turned and violently charged the two, punching the restrained male and barely missing the officer who ducked out of the way. In a game of degenerate musical chairs, the officer then grabbed the other suspect and got him to the ground. Meanwhile, a second officer broke up the remaining men, who managed to elude the officers' eyes and blend into the Friday night crowds.
The restrained suspect, after claiming "You have the wrong guy," admitted consuming alcohol that evening and added he would not have attacked the male had he realized he was being held by a police officer, despite the officer's introduction, badge and repeated commands for the scuffling to cease.
Officers also discovered a fictitious driver's license on the suspect. He, a Miami student, was charged with Offenses Involving Underage Persons, Prohibited Acts and Disorderly Conduct.
Male taken to Butler County Jail for possessing drug paraphernalia
Around 7 p.m. Friday, an OPD officer at 5201 College Corner Pike observed a male he recognized from a Butler County probation violation warrant out for his arrest.
As the officer approached the suspect, the man immediately plunged his right hand into his right pocket, extracted a hypodermic syringe and threw it roughly five feet away from his person. When the officer asked why he did so, he said he was "just trying to get rid of it."
Despite his intentions, he was charged with Possessing Drug Abuse Instruments. According to OPD, the suspect had been charged for the same offense on Feb. 27, 2014; hence, this latest charge was escalated to an M1 misdemeanor. He was taken to Butler County Jail, from which he had just been released around four weeks prior, according to OPD.