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Two suspects were charged and two children were turned over to Child Protective Services Monday after Azle police and Parker County special crimes unit (SCU) investigators raided a suspected methamphetamine lab on Scotland Drive.
Micah Brian York, 32, and Jamie Lea Munoz, 27, were arrested at the home of York’s relatives, in the 1400 block of Scotland, at 6 p.m. Monday, July 12. The relatives seemed to be unaware of the couple’s activities in a locked back bedroom, Chief of Police Steve Myers said after the arrest.
The two are held on $40,000 bond. Myers expects both to be charged with manufacturing with intent to deliver a controlled substance (over 400 grams), a first-degree felony. The suspects’ children, ages five and two, were turned over to CPS and will be evaluated for exposure to meth, Myers said. “CPS said they expect to have the youngsters as long as three months,” Myers said. “That kind of testing takes a while.”
SCU investigators were following up on a tip they had received when they knocked on the door of the residence, located west of Highway 199 right on the edge of the city limits. The investigators identified themselves as police officers and requested and received permission to search the premises from the homeowners. One bedroom in the house was locked and investigators requested and received permission to enter that room as well, Myers said. In that room, the officers discovered the ingredients for making methamphetamine, including alcohol, acetone and antifreeze. They found coffee filters, a hotplate and mason jars filled with a dark liquid that was “separated into layers,” Myers said. That is typically the final stage before turning the substance into powder, he said. A child’s “sippy cup” was amongst other utensils and containers related to production of meth, according to the investigators’ report. The homeowners, related to York, were unaware of what the couple was doing, although they said they had been experiencing headaches and have noticed a “chemical odor” for the past several months, Myers said. Munoz has no prior record, but York has been arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of marijuana in the past, Myers said. “This is not the only (meth lab) we have in town,” Myers said. “I just wish we knew where they are. “But finding this one is an example of what we can do with the kind of resources Parker County special crimes unit has,” he added. |
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