Cops say odor led to meth labs

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Four people have been charged after another methamphetamine-related bust on Friday in Greenfield, the sixth such bust in the village in a month’s time.

According to Greenfield Police Department Acting Chief Jeremiah Oyer, officers were on patrol Friday night, May 6, and when in the 400 block of McClain Avenue a chemical odor was detected. Officers investigated on foot, Oyer said, the odor leading them to 437 McClain Ave.

He said officers knocked on the door with Kimberley Bailey, 37, answering and subsequently granting a search of the residence, where she said she was home alone.

Once inside, Oyer said officers located not only two more individuals, but also four one-pot meth labs, three generators which are used in the production of meth, and chemicals used to produce meth. Also found were three marijuana plants growing in the laundry room, Oyer said.

Arrested and charged with first-degree felony illegal manufacture of drugs and second-degree felony illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs were Bailey; Rex Bondurant Jr., 29, Greenfield; and Roger Moore, 34, Washington C.H. The charges are typically second- and third-degree felonies, respectively, but are elevated due to the occurrence of the alleged offenses in proximity to the Greenfield schools.

Oyer said a fourth individual was located by an officer that was left to secure the scene. It was determined that Dustin Beechler, 31, South Salem, had been hiding on the roof of the residence. He was also arrested and charged as the others, but also faces the additional charges of obstructing official business and two counts of illegal possession of drugs. The possession charges, according to Oyer, stem from “an unknown substance” allegedly found on Beechler’s person that Beechler identified as Oxycodone.

All four individuals were scheduled for arraignment in the Highland County Court in Greenfield on Monday.

As to the spate of recent meth-related busts, Oyer said previously it was the continued “hard work and dedication” of the officers that keeps the department on top of the criminal activity.

“They just go through cycles,” Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera said recently when asked if there was any reason for the high number of meth-related incidents lately. “They start cooking meth for a while, then they go back to heroin. It’s all out there – these one-pot meth labs are out there all the time – it’s just a matter of catching them.”

Assisting GPD on scene on Friday were the sheriff’s office and the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District.

The matter remains under investigation and further charges are pending analysis by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and a review by the Highland County Prosecutor’s Office.

Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.

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One suspect allegedly hid on roof of home

By Angela Shepherd

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