LEROY – Acting on several tips, Mower County law enforcement officials busted a methamphetamine lab in LeRoy at about 6 p.

Tuesday, May 16, 2000

LEROY – Acting on several tips, Mower County law enforcement officials busted a methamphetamine lab in LeRoy at about 6 p.m. Thursday evening. Two residences were searched: one at 306 Main St., the other at 104 Atkins St.

Meth, also known as "crank," "speed" or "crystal," is a central nervous system stimulant. A person taking meth might be restless or sweaty, their pupils pinpoints and they may become paranoid. The high produced by the chemical lasts about 14 hours.

Chief Deputy Terese Amazi was on the scene. Amazi said the sheriff’s department found the byproducts of methamphetamine production in the garbage. These include brake-cleaning fluid, battery acid, ephedrine and residue of methamphetamine. Amazi was treated and released for chemical inhalation after the search.

The five suspects – three men and two women – have not been charged yet, but Amazi said charges of methamphetamine manufacture are pending for all five, with two also to be charged with welfare fraud.

Methamphetamine can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken orally, and its appearance varies depending on how it is used. Typically, it is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting powder that easily dissolves in water. Because much of the methamphetamine in the United States is homemade, its color and appearance can vary according to the skill of the chemist and the raw materials used.

Amazi said some of the drug had been sold, but that it appeared the suspects were mostly manufacturing it for their own use.

A Rochester agent specially trained in dismantling meth labs will be in Austin later today to take the evidence apart.

Vulnerable adult assaulted

A 39-year-old vulnerable adult woman reported Saturday that she was sexually assaulted on her way home from Dunkin’ Donuts.

While she was walking home between 7 and 7:30 p.m., a man who said his name was Jake, driving a pickup truck, asked her whether she wanted a ride home.

The woman accepted the ride, expecting to be taken to her home. Instead the man drove past Riverland Community College, west on Eighth Avenue, where he asked the woman to perform oral sex.

The police have no suspects, but the matter is under investigation.