On the morning of December 31st, a land surveyor advised a ranger that he?d seen a man acting suspiciously in the Spring Canyon area. He was reportedly seen throwing items from his vehicle and carrying several ice chests into the tall river grass. When he saw the surveyor, he fled in his vehicle down a dirt road until he ran into locked gate, at which point he abandoned it and took off on foot into a nearby canyon. When the ranger arrived, he found a still operating methamphetamine lab, the man?s vehicle, and indications of his direction of travel. A Fritch PD officer and two Hutchinson County officers soon arrived on scene to provide assistance. Items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine were found in the vehicle. The county officers found the 19-year-old suspect just outside the park and detained him for further investigation. He was positively identified, placed in custody, and taken to the county jail. He?s been charged with the manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of chemicals with intent to manufacture a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance. The estimated total weight of the methamphetamines he produced came to 400 grams. A second arrest is pending.
