Six people were arrested Nov. 12, on charges of manufacturing methamphetamines in the Patrick area of Chesterfield County. According to Sgt. Mike Irvin, narcotics division of the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, meth labs continue to be a growing problem in the county.
Irvin, said he “had received information that Justin Stroud was cooking methamphetamines at his residence on BBB Circle” and decided to do a “knock and talk.” He was assisted by Sgt. Spencer Vaughn and Sgt. Stuart Robinson.
According to the incident report, Vaughn arrived first and saw Stroud “running from out of the woods from behind his residence.” He also saw a female inside the residence “spraying air freshener.”
When Irvin got there he said he “could still smell an ether like aroma coming from around the residence.”
Irvin asked Justin Stroud if he was cooking meth. Stroud said he was not and gave Irvin permission to search the home. After officers found a “two liter Mountain Dew bottle containing what appeared to be some kind of sludge inside” and “another two liter bottle containing lithium strips and another white looking substance” Stroud admitted that when he saw law enforcement coming he “threw the stuff in the woods.”
Irvin, who has been involved in more than a half dozen cases this year involving meth labs, said this drug is “highly addictive and dangerous.” The chemical combinations can sometimes be explosive, he said.
“People have a hard time coming down off this drug,” Irvin said. He encourages the public to notify the authorities if they suspect someone is dealing with this issue, as the manufacturing of this drug is potentially harmful to the neighborhood and environment, as well as the person using it.
Those arrested for manufacturing methamphetamines include; Justin Mitchell Stroud, 25, of 100 BBB Circle, Patrick; John Matthew Stroud, 25, of 971 Patrick Firetower Rd., Patrick; Kenny Brian Winburn, 30, of 2411 Patrick/Society Hill Rd., Patrick; LaDonna Deanna Blair, 24, of 226 Ousley Dale Rd., Patrick; Ashley Lynn Griggs, 23, of 971 Patrick Firetower Rd., Patrick; and Wanda Davis Stroud, 44, of 692 Mount Olivet Church Rd., Patrick, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
According to Irvin, the case is still under investigation.
— Staff Writer Karen Kissiah can be reached by calling 843-537-5261, or by email at kkissiah@heartlandpublications.com.
Judie Kopfman
Cheraw, SC