CRYSTAL CLEAR DRUG PROBLEM

NORCO - A pair of "crystal meth labs," used in the manufacture of the
hallucinogenic methamphthetamine, were uncovered this week in quiet St.
Charles Parish neighborhoods, one on each side of the Mississippi River.

Though apparently unconnected, St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office Capt.
Patrick Yoes said the link between the two is each were busted, thanks to
cooperation from the public.

In the latest instance, a quiet, dead-end Ama street was the site for a
swarm of narcotics detectives and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agents who
descended at 11 p.m. Tuesday on a house at 135 Michael Drive. Two
juveniles, a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, and several adults
were in the house, when the detectives broke in the front door and
immediately headed for a rear bedroom, searching for a suspect.

When it was discovered the suspect fled out a window, every adult present
was arrested, and the juveniles turned over to their grandmother, the owner
of the house.

Arrested were Amos Cooke, 17; Valerie Zeringue, 38; Mary Pierce, 41; and
Leslie Walgamotte, 60, all of 135 Michael St.; Melissa Melancon, 41, of N.
Ezidore Ave., Gramercy; and Lori Blades, 40, of 179 First St., Boutte. Each
were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession with intent to
distribute meth, possession of marijuana, illegal use of a controlled
dangerous substance in the presence of a minor, contributing to the
deliquency of a juvenile and illegal carrying of a weapon.

At their bond hearings, bond was set at $150,000 each by 29th Judicial
District Judge Kirk Granier.

The owner of the house, retired St. Charles Health Unit public health nurse
Leotha Zeringue, complained of the dirty gloves and property damage done by
the invading detectives, including several broken windows.

"They are not supposed to demolish the house for no reason at all!" she
exclaimed.

Her granddaughter, Becky Zeringue, who was present during the raid,
complained of how detectives talked to her and of being forced to sit,
handcuffed, outdoors for more than four hours until she was released.

"I can't wait to tell the judge how they talked to me," Becky Zeringue said.

Her description of the raid was the detectives knocked once, then bashed in
the door and all raced directly for the room in question where a casual
acquaintance was supposedly manufacturing meth, though she denied all
knowledge of the activity. Yoes said that upon sheriff's detectives
entering the house, they smelled a strong chemical odor and, for safety
reasons, everyone inside was removed outdoors. The teen-ager denied any
such odor was present. Meanwhile, the suspect they sought apparently
escaped from a window and eluded capture.

"They're mad about what happened, well, so are we!" Becky Zeringue said.

The detectives rounded up the adults and after searching the house for
hours, left around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Items confiscated in the house included $436 in cash, 12 grams of meth
valued at $1,200, three and a half grams of marijuana, a .410-gauge
crack-barrel shotgun (reportedly a Christmas gift to the 17-year-old) and
enough meth oil to produce two ounces, valued at $2,000.

"If my mom and my aunt go to prison, I'll be crying a lot!" the teen-ager said.

In the earlier instance, some neighbors suspected, others did not, when a
meth lab was uncovered on a quiet, dead-end Norco street Tuesday morning.
One resident, who asked not to be identified, said he inquired about odd
smells from the house and was told they were "cleaning."

"I hope I don't see them back over there," he continued. "I'm thinking of
the safety of my kids and my house."

Yoes said that on June 18, at 1 a.m., the St. Charles Parish 911 Center got
an anonymous call claiming William Hester, 32, of 614 Clayton Drive, was
operating a meth lab in his home. Detectives served Hester on traffic
attachments and arrived at the residence soon afterward. They got
permission from Hester's wife, Robin, 36, to search the house.

It did not take long to find the supplies and equipment to produce the
illegal drug, along with eight grams of meth with a street value of $1,000.
Detectives arrested the couple and also Edwin Cantrell, 24, of 229 Emmett
Court, LaPlace, and charged each with manufacturing a Schedule I controlled
dangerous substance.

Cantrell was charged also with theft over $500 in an unrelated incident
involving a rental trailer not returned. The Hesters were additionally
charged with possessiof of meth, and William Hester was also charged on
traffic attachments for no headlights, no brake tag and driving under
suspension.

Neighbor Olive Landeche recalled deputies had come to the Hester residence
a few times before and, from time to time, an ammonia smell could be
noticed in the area.

Although the Motiva refinery is four blocks away, ammonia smells are not
common from the plant. Ammonia, however, is used in the manufacture of
methamphetamine.

Neighbor Frank Mays, on the other hand, never smelled any peculiar odors,
but then his home is built high off the ground. "I wouldn't think this
would be found in a quiet neighborhood like this," he said.

His encounters with the arrested pair were rare, such as when she would be
walking their dog.

Bond was set on the trio by 29th Judicial District Judge Kirk Granier and
set at $150,000 each, with Cantrell having $10,000 more, due to the theft
charge.