| 18 Jan 2003
What began as a report of a suspicious vehicle to the White
County Sheriff's Department Friday afternoon, ended with the discovery of a meth lab and
the arrest of a Bald Knob man.
According to a press release, the suspicious vehicle was
reported to be in a wooded area near Brimer Loop north of Bald Knob. Corporal Danny Spears
responded to the call and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Instead, the driver, later
identified as 38-year-old Curtis McDonald, 227 Newell Road in Bald Knob, fled from Spears
and reportedly began throwing items out of the car.
Shortly after the pursuit began, McDonald pulled over. The
report stated that as Spears approached the vehicle, he noticed a strong chemical odor
coming from inside the vehicle. The source of the odor was reportedly from a substance in
a container that had spilled during the pursuit.
Officers from the Narcotics Division of the sheriff's
department were called to the scene. Upon further investigation, authorities discovered a
meth lab set up in the wooded area where the vehicle was first seen. McDonald was arrested
for manufacturing a controlled substance and felony fleeing.
Representatives from the Safety and Environment Association
(SEA) were called to the scene to clean up the lab. According to the sheriff's department
the SEA works under a contract with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to clean-up
the hazardous waste associated with meth labs.
The lab marks the third to be confiscated this week by the
sheriff's department.
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