An infant was found in a vehicle with a mobile methamphetamine lab in the trunk Sunday during a traffic stop by police in Auburn.
According to the Auburn Police Department, officers were making a traffic stop for an illegally registered vehicle during an active drug detail Sunday when a police dog alerted officers to the presence of drugs in the vehicle.
Officers searched the vehicle and found an active clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in the trunk of the vehicle. Officers also found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, police said.
As a result of the search, Michelle L. Smith, Brittany M. Garrett and one man were arrested. An infant, who was also with them, was placed into the custody of the DeKalb County Department of Child Services, police said.
Smith, 28, of Auburn, is charged with felony manufacturing methamphetamine, along with maintaining a common nuisance and possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.
Garrett, 20, of Garrett, is charged with felony neglect of a dependent and visiting a common nuisance, a misdemeanor.
The man arrested at the scene was charged with visiting a common nuisance and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanors. The Journal Gazette typically does not name those charged with misdemeanors.
A search of an Auburn home also uncovered substances used to manufacture methamphetamine. Officers are continuing to investigate and additional arrests are expected, police said.
The Auburn Police Department was assisted by the Indiana State Police Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team.
For those of you who don't know, Michell Smith is a former co-worker. She was troubled at the time of her employment, but she was living in a rehab home for women. After she was let go from work, I would run into her from time to time at the Meteor and Jake would always joke about how she looked like she was smoking meth. I would always defend her and say she probably had acne.
I know people tried to help her, and I know she really didn't want to be helped. I know there is nothing that I could have done to prevent her downward spiral from recreational user to owner and operator of "meth on wheels", but it still is shocking to me. I have known a few addicts, but all of them seemed pretty well worthless to me. They were just the type of people who didn't care if they were hurting themselves or others around them; They couldn't keep a job cleaning toilets in a truck stop; They beat their wives or girlfriends or children...you know the type I am referring to. This girl seemed to want to stop for her 5 year old daughter and to save her marriage and to have a decent job. I knew at the time that she was putting on a one man show, but I wanted to believe that she was going to get out of this rut she was in and straighten herself out. She had brains and she was pretty and she was talented.
Just goes to show that you never know about some people. Funny how just this morning I wrote about the trouble I am having giving up one addiction while her life is being ruined over one she can't seem to shake no matter what.
Too bad for the baby in the car. This article was the only one I could find online in the short amount of time I had to blog about this, but there are otehrs that detail the event better. The meth lab was in the trunk directly behind where the baby was sitting.
They were pulled over on a routine traffic stop by a K9 unit. Imagine that. Imagine if they would have been in an accident...even a minor one. The car would have blown up and all the people in the vehicle would have been incenerated...and it would have happend quickly with all of the chemicals involved as accelerants. (Speaking of which, how could anyone with half a brain ingest that shit knowing what goes into making it?!?) Brings new meaning to the title, which I borrowd from a Johhny Cash song.
"I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down and the flames went higher...and it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire..."
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