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Tuesday, 24 February 2009 |
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Assistant Managing Editor
A motorist and three occupants were arrested Monday night when equipment used to steal anhydrous ammonia was found during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 75, north of Wapakoneta.
Troopers from the Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol stopped a blue 2006 Suzuki Forenza headed north between the Wapakoneta exit and the Uniopolis exit for a traffic violation at approximately 11:20 p.m. The motorist, Michael Whalen, 28, of Flemingsburg, Ky., was found to be driving under suspension.
After he and three other occupants of the vehicle — Justin Bond, 22, also of Flemingsburg, Ky., and John Preston, 33, and Troy Brumley, 41, both of Manchester, along the Ohio River in southern Ohio — all gave conflicting stories about what they were doing and where they were headed, an Allen County K-9 unit was called to the scene.
The K-9 made a positive alert to the vehicle and during a probable cause search, numerous items associated with the production of methamphetamine were located, Wapakoneta Post Commander Lt. Scott Carrico said this morning.
Personal-use drugs and contraband also were located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, he said.
All four men were incarcerated in the Auglaize County Jail on related charges, not limited to possession of materials used for the manufacture of meth and criminal tools, both of which are felonies, the lieutenant said. They were expected to be arraigned in court this morning.
“I don’t know what they saw in the vehicle at first, but with the driver under suspension and the conflicting stories, they decided to call the K-9 in,” Carrico said. “Their stories were all different, but they said they were headed to Michigan from Kentucky.”
He described the items in the vehicle as tools used to remove anhydrous ammonia, used in the manufacture of meth, from large farm tanks. Included amongst the items troopers found in the car were several fire extinguisher cans with the tops off, teflon tape and hoses.
“It’s very unusual to find someone with these types of items,” Carrico said. “This is the first we’ve ran across something like this here. We know the county has handled thefts of anhydrous ammonia. These guys were just passing through, but had the equipment to stop and try to get it at any given field.”
The lieutenant said motorists traveling with the mix of chemicals needed to make meth on the road face a great potential for danger to themselves and others, as it’s a volatile mix with fumes possibly building, igniting from a spark and exploding, often in the back of trunks.
“There are a lot of health risks,” Carrico said.
He said rather than materials to steal items to produce meth, troopers typically find personal-use amounts of marijuana and crack cocaine during traffic stops.
He said the amount of personal drugs found in this vehicle is still unknown, as there were several vials of liquids, a couple pill bottles and syringes found.
The Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office and Wapakoneta Fire Department were called to the scene to assist with the investigation.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 February 2009 )
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