POLICE FIND MOBILE METH LAB

ROGERS - An early morning traffic stop Thursday resulted in two felony
arrests after the discovery of a mobile lab for making
methamphetamine, according to Rogers police.

Shane Wilkey, 28, and Ryan Wilkey, 23, brothers and residents of
Garfield, were pulled over at 12:07 a.m. Thursday in the 1200 block of
West Walnut Street by Sgt. David Mitchell of the Rogers Police
Department. The left taillight of their four-door passenger car, which
Shane Wilkey was driving, was broken.

According to police, Mitchell approached the vehicle and noticed Ryan
Wilkey rolling down the passenger side window and leaning downward,
reaching toward the floorboard.

Mitchell then called officer Kenny Fitch and his police dog, Kimbo,
for back-up assistance.

Mitchell smelled a strong chemical odor coming from the car. He then
saw a large plastic bottle with a cup sitting on top of it, according
to police.

Several round, white tablets were discovered inside the bottle. In
addition to the bottle, Mitchell found two quart-size cans of
denatured alcohol. He recognized the items as ingredients used in the
manufacturing of methamphetamine.

Mitchell asked Ryan Wilkey to get out of the vehicle and when Wilkey
did so, Mitchell saw a fixed-blade knife beside the seat, police said.

When Mitchell walked Wilkey to the rear of the car and asked him what
the two were doing, Wilkey was shaking and appeared nervous, police
said.

Wilkey's left leg appeared to be wet and he smelled strongly of
chemicals.

He said the smell came from the denatured alcohol he had spilled on
his pants, but he could not explain why he was using denatured
alcohol. Wilkey was placed under arrest for possession of the knife.

When Mitchell asked Shane Wilkey to get out of the car, Mitchell
observed another fixed-blade knife and a shortened golf club beside
the driver's seat. Shane Wilkey was then arrested for possession of
the knife, police said.

Ryan Wilkey admitted to "cooking dope," and claimed possession of
"everything," police said.

Wilkey was beginning to mix the denatured alcohol with the ephedrine
tablets when the alcohol spilled onto his pants. Wilkey said that
there was red phosphorous in the vehicle that was his, according to
police.

Fitch brought Kimbo to the car, "and he about scratched the
passenger-side door off," Fitch said. "We put Kimbo back in the
(police) car and I went in the driver's side (of the suspects' car)
and Sgt. Mitchell went in the passenger side. I saw some meth on my
side. We called an undercover officer out there and tried to make sure
nobody got hurt because they had chemicals."

When the undercover narcotics officer arrived, a search of the car
revealed numerous components of a methamphetamine lab, including
ephedrine tablets, denatured alcohol, Coleman camp fuel, possible red
phosphorous, pH test strips, Pyrex cookware and containers of liquid
in different stages of the methamphetamine manufacturing process,
police said.

Police also found containers of what is suspected to be finished
methamphetamine and paraphernalia used in the sale and consumption of
controlled substances.

A loaded .380 semi-automatic pistol was also found in the vehicle,
according to Fitch.

The two were arrested and each charged with manufacture of a
controlled substance (methamphetamine), a class Y felony; possession
of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a class Y felony;
simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, a class Y felony; and

possession of a knife as a weapon, a class A misdemeanor.

A class Y felony is punishable by 10 to 40 years or life in
prison.

The Wilkeys were taken to the Benton County Jail to await probable
cause/bond hearings.