METH ARRESTS A BUST?

Law Enforcement Sees Familiar Faces When Raiding Drug Labs

An increasing number of investigations into methamphetamine labs are
turning up familiar names for law enforcement authorities.

The Logan County Sheriff's Office arrested Ricky Lee Fulcher, 37, of Auburn
on Friday and charged him with operating a meth lab at his Gasper River
Road home, according to Capt. Wallace Whittaker.

At the time of his most recent arrest, Fulcher was free on bond from a
previous arrest less than two weeks ago on similar charges of operating a
meth lab at his home, according to court records.

Fulcher remains lodged in the Logan County Jail in lieu of a $54,000 bond.

Whittaker said at least two other unrelated cases in Logan County involve
people accused of manufacturing the synthetic amphetamine while they were
free on bond from previous manufacturing charges.

Suspected criminals who get released from jail and then are arrested for
additional offenses are nothing new, but seems to be a growing pattern with
methamphetamine users.

A judge looks at a number of factors when deciding on bail, including the
presence of multiple charges and previous offenses, and is designed to
ensure the offender's return for the next court appearance, according to
Warren Circuit Judge John D. Minton Jr.

Meth related offenses are not automatically judged as more serious than
other offenses, but the possibility of reoffending is always a concern in
any crime, Minton said.

"It's a matter of concern, but it has not been singled out from any other
crime," he said. "It underscores what must be the highly addictive nature
of the drug and the ready access to it."

Minton and workers with Warren County Drug Court are working to better
understand the effects of meth to better deal with addicts, he said.

Meth can be made with household materials and stimulates the central
nervous system of users. Side effects of the drug include psychotic and
violent behavior, anxiety and excessive excitation, according to a
publication distributed by law enforcement agencies throughout the region.

Whittaker said users of the drug have complained about the intensity of the
substance and the difficulty they have shaking it.

"One of the guys arrested said it's a hard drug to get off," he said.

Warren County has also seen multiple suspected meth makers who post bond
and then are arrested for similar offenses.

For example, in May the Warren County Sheriff's Office and Bowling
Green-Warren County Drug Task Force arrested Terry Gill on methamphetamine
manufacturing charges after deputies responded to a noise complaint and
found several people making what appeared to be meth at a Blue
Level-Providence Road trailer.

At the time of Gill's arrest he was free on bond from two earlier arrests
for possession of anhydrous ammonia with intent to manufacture meth,
according to court records.

Gill, who pleaded not guilty in the case, was lodged in the Warren County
Regional Jail following the May arrest and was released Thursday after he
posted a $5,000 bond.

Similar to the potentially explosive nature of the ether, fertilizer and
kerosene used in making meth, people are gambling with dangerous forces
when they choose to experiment with the substance, according to drug task
force Director Tommy Loving.

"In the drug business the bottom line is always about addiction and money,
and both are powerful forces," Loving said.