FIVE SHERIFFS MEET TO DISCUSS METH PROBLEM; MAY PARTNER IN RESPONSE TEAM

Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins met with his counterparts in four
neighboring counties yesterday to discuss a possible partnership for
responding to the discovery of illegal methamphetamine
laboratories.

The roundtable discussion at the Southern Belle Restaurant in Mount
Olive included Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell, Sheriff Jimmy
Thornton of Sampson County, Duplin County's Sheriff Blake Wallace and
Sheriff Carey Winders of Wayne County.

Meth lab busts in the area have skyrocketed in the last three years
and pose a distinct threat to investigating officers because of toxic
fumes produced during the manufacture of the highly addictive form of
speed. A State Bureau of Investigation hazardous materials team has to
process meth lab sites before deputies can move in.

"If we know there's a lab we can't really get a search warrant and go
there until we get the bureau on the front end of that," Sheriff
Rollins said. "The way they go is that the SBI has the main team that
can go into these sites and we're talking about putting some resources
together between us and form our own react team.

"The bureau is just overtasked with these things," he said. "It may
help us a little bit where we don't have deputies sitting around for
two or three days to watch one until the bureau can get there."

Sheriff Rollins said specialized knowledge and equipment is essential
for processing meth labs, and not just because of the danger to officers.

"If the bureau is not here with their team, and you don't do these
things correctly, the county is going to be responsible for the
clean-up bill," he said. "The minimum on these things is about $3,000
to $5,000 and they can go a lot more."

Next Meeting

Sheriff Rollins said the five lawmen plan to meet again to get input
from the SBI agent in charge of the bureau's clandestine lab response
team regarding their partnership idea.

"We're going to get him to come down and just see where we can fit in
with what they have and maybe create something of our own," Sheriff
Rollins said. "We're worried about the fact that we get all this
information about these labs and we don't want to have to wait to
react to them.

"The way they are now you have to wait," he said. "These things are
dangerous - you've got to have trained and technical people there to
handle them. If you know about them ahead of time, you've got to have
a plan in place."

Sheriff Rollins said the five sheriffs at the meeting represented the
counties hardest hit by meth.

"In the eastern region we've probably got the biggest problem with
it," he said. In April 2002, two Erwin police officers were treated
at a hospital after they inhaled chemical fumes while investigating a
meth lab in a house in Erwin. Two streets were closed while
firefighters and a hazardous materials team cleaned up the scene.

Last month, Johnston County authorities linked a meth arrest to the
theft of anhydrous ammonia from a hog processing plant in Duplin
County. The same chemical, suspected of being used to make crystal
meth, was stolen from Polymer Group Inc. of Benson last year.