CLAREMORE —
County employees Bill Brown and James Willis spotted a bag of garbage many people would have ignored, but due to training the men recognized the remains of a “shake and bake” methamphetamine lab.
The toxic debris was found in rural Foyil not far from a popular fishing spot along Oologah Lake.
As law enforcement has tightened around meth labs operating throughout Oklahoma, more drug manufacturers are turning to portable means of production. Known as “shake and bake,” these portable meth labs use 2 or 3 liter soda bottles to make the highly addictive drug that is plaguing the nation.
Those empty containers and other dangerous and toxic debris are often discarded in the rural countryside where county employees work. As a matter of public safety, local law enforcement officials have been training county employees to recognize those remains to protect the employees and the public at large.
“I’m proud of Bill Brown and James Willis who found this,” said District 1 County Commissioner Dan DeLozier. “We’ve had training on identifying hazardous materials. They did a good job.”
Brown and Willis were working in the area and from the elevated vantage of their truck, spotted the meth lab remains just off of E400 Road just west of S417.
The men reported their findings to the D1 administrative barn and DeLozier’s staff called the Rogers County Sheriff.
“This isn’t the first time,” said DeLozier.
He said in most cases men brush hogging the ditches encounter shake and bake meth remains. Training in how to recognize those remains help protect the men from touching toxic items that could be hazardous. It also means law enforcement can be brought in to safely remove the hazardous items.
“They did what they were trained to do,” said DeLozier. “I’m glad we found this and we are going to get it cleaned up. It’s good for public safety.”
DeLozier pointed out a nearby path of worn down grass leading from a gravel parking area turn around to the lake. The meth lab was found just a short distance away. Had Brown and Willis not spotted the shake and bake, kids or someone fishing might have come into contact with the toxic materials.
Sheriff’s Deputy David Metz was stationed in the area to wait for a special hazmat team coming from Oklahoma City to deal with the disposal.
Top Stories
Related Photos
-
Rogers County Deputy David Metz and District 1 County Commissioner Dan DeLozier discuss the shake and bake meth lab discovered by D1 employees Thursday.
-
Toxic debris from a shake and bake methamphetamine lab was discovered Thursday morning in the Foyil area by county employees.
County employees spot ‘shake and bake’ meth lab
- Top Stories
-
-
Photos: Aftermath of massive tornado in Moore
Storm victims were pulled from the rubble and residents began surveying the damage late Monday and early Tuesday in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, where a powerful tornado destroyed entire neighborhoods and left dozens dead.
-
UPDATE: How you can help the recovery
Several local organizations are pulling together to collect items to assist survivors from the Moore tornado.
-
Proposed budget balances fee increases with infrastructure improvements
The Claremore City Council will host a special meeting workshop to discuss a 2013-14 budget that would include several fee increases.
-
Election Board does not certify 1-Cent Sales Tax vote
The Rogers County Election Board voted Tuesday not to certify results of the May 14 One-Cent Sales Tax election on advice from Assistant District Attorney David Iski.
-
Oklahoma twister a top-of-the-scale EF-5
The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Moore, Okla., was a top-of-the-scale EF-5 twister with winds of at least 200 mph.
-
Power of Moore tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb
Wind, humidity and rainfall combined precisely to create the massive killer tornado in Moore, Okla. And when they did, the awesome amount of energy released over that city dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima.
-
Sen. Coburn wants tornado aid paid through other cuts
Conservative Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn says that any additional federal aid to help tornado victims and to rebuild devastated areas of his state should be financed with cuts to other programs in the government’s $3.6 trillion budget.
-
Crews race to find survivors of Oklahoma twister
Emergency crews searched the broken remnants of an Oklahoma City suburb Tuesday for survivors of a massive tornado that flattened homes and demolished an elementary school. At least 24 people were killed, including at least nine children, and those numbers were expected to climb.
-
Will Rogers Masonic Lodge accepting donations for Moore tornado survivors
The Will Rogers Masonic Lodge is enlisting the community’s help to provide items for the victims of the Moore tornado.
-
Obama pledges urgent aid to Oklahoma town
President Barack Obama pledged urgent government help for Oklahoma Tuesday in the wake of “one of the most destructive” storms in the nation’s history.
- More Top Stories Headlines
-
Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
Slow Pokes: Acupuncture Helps Sick Turtles
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Former IRS Chief: Can't Say How List Happened
Gov. Fallin: Okla. Facing Horrific Disaster
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
