See story update: Man busted for ‘shake & bake’ meth lab
WINNSBORO – On Tuesday afternoon, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office investigated a suspected methamphetamine lab in the Bi Lo parking lot in the Winnsboro area. Deputies initially responded to Bi Lo for a complaint of trespassing.
Emergency personnel is on site.
Upon arrival, deputies learned that the trespass suspect had unknowingly been in an employee’s vehicle. Upon closer inspection of the vehicle, deputies report they located what was suspected to be a methamphetamine lab. Sheriff Will Montgomery said his department followed established protocol and blocked off the immediate area surrounding the vehicle. He said his personnel who are trained to handle these types of situations were called and are on scene. As an added safety measure, a fire truck was requested to be on standby at the location.
After a search, the Sheriff’s Office apprehended the suspect believed to be responsible for the suspected methamphetamine lab. Deputies expect to be on-scene for approximately 2-3 hours while waiting on a specialized cleaning and collection service to arrive for proper collection and disposal of these potentially hazardous items in question.
“We are thankful to the Bi Lo staff for their vigilance and for quickly notifying our office,” Montgomery said. “Our deputies were on scene quickly to identify this meth lab and to take the proper steps necessary in safely handling it. Investigating methamphetamine labs is a very dangerous part of law enforcement and we want to make sure that this incident is handled in a safe manner. Unfortunately, these processes are time consuming. We appreciate the patience of the public and the staff at Bi Lo while we continue this investigation.”
The Voice will update as the investigation continues.
