Trial is pending for a 31-year-old Greenfield man who allegedly operated a mobile meth lab in Washington C.H. last fall.
Jody L. Watson, Jr. has been arraigned in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas on charges of illegal assembly of possession of chemicals, a felony of the third degree; possession of drug abuse instruments, a misdemeanor of the second degree; and illegal possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
Watson was allegedly a rear passenger in a car that was stopped Oct. 7, 2016.
The incident began during the patrol of a Washington C.H. police officer who noticed the car parked on the side of Maple Street. As the officer drove past the car, a passenger in the front seat appeared to crouch down to hide, according to the officer’s report, and then the driver left. The officer said he noticed a strange and unusual sound coming from the car’s exhaust and initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of Sycamore and Cherry streets.
During a search of the car, the officer reported that he found an assortment of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine, an illegal stimulant. The components of the alleged mobile meth lab located in the car included three types of fuel, a variety of batteries, muriatic acid in a plastic bag, and upon further inspection in the trunk there was a duffel bag found to contain jars taped together with hoses and funnels.
The officer also reported that he found “a large amount of needles and drug paraphernalia,” though the report does not state how many needles were allegedly found. In addition, allegedly a locked safe was found in the trunk and the officer inserted some sort of small camera or eye piece through a small hole in the safe to view the contents, and found more drug paraphernalia and needles, there inside the safe.
At the time of the traffic stop, Watson allegedly gave the officer the false name of “Jureul Goins” but the officer soon determined that Watson did not fit the description of Goins. Upon a records check it was found that Watson had an active warrant for his arrest in Highland County.
Watson was sentenced Dec. 7 in the Highland County Court of Common Pleas on charges for judicial sanction, possession of drugs, illegal possession of chemicals and failure to provide notice of a change of address, and is currently incarcerated at Pickaway Correctional Institution for a four-year and three-month prison term.
An order to convey was filed last week in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas to bring Watson to appear at a final pre-trial hearing on the three drug-related charges March 15 at 10 a.m.. If Watson does not come to some sort of plea and sentence agreement with the state, the case goes to trial.
