Three meth labs busted: Tear gas used in standoff
Sheriff’s officers were busy over the past week, raiding three large methamphetamine labs, one of which saw an hour-long standoff before special operations units stormed the house.
According to Sheriff Jackie Matheny, the tense standoff came this past weekend when lawmen arrived outside a residence near Morrison to arrest George David (Hondo) Pease, 25, on outstanding meth manufacturing warrants from Coffee County.
Matheny said when deputies arrived they were met by the residents of the house who claimed they had been forced out of their home by the alleged meth makers. The house was then surrounded and a negotiator brought in to talk to whomever was in the house.
“We had information Mr. Pease may be armed so we weren’t taking any chances,” Matheny said. “We were out there about an hour and our negotiator was talking but no one was answering from inside the house. There wasn’t any movement.”
After an extended period, one person did come out of the house. The suspect, Shane Michael Woodruff, 21, claimed he had been asleep and had not heard the officers yelling from outside for nearly an hour. Woodruff claimed Pease was not inside the home.
Given Woodruff’s denial, officers launched tear gas into the house and then stormed inside. While a preliminary check of the house found nothing, one of the officers happened to notice an air conditioner duct was slightly ajar. A look inside revealed Pease tucked inside the vent. He was then arrested without incident.
Matheny said he is surprised Pease was able to remain inside the vent, given the thickness of the tear gas inside the house. The sheriff also said Woodruff is suspected of helping Pease hide since some of the screws in the vent had been screwed in from outside.
Both Pease and Woodruff were charged with meth manufacture after an alleged meth lab was found in the house.
“It was a big lab, one of the biggest we’ve seen in a while,” Matheny said, noting Pease will likely be prosecuted on the federal level where sentences run higher.
Matheny said lawmen are investigating what connection the house residents had with Pease.
Shortly before the Pease raid, lawmen renewed their acquaintance with the man who was the first ever busted for methamphetamine in Warren County.
Jerry L. Biles, 64, is charged with manufacture of meth. He was arrested after he was pulled over in his vehicle near Campaign. Lawmen reportedly found several items commonly used in the production of meth inside his vehicle and then conducted a raid on his residence.
A search of his home netted numerous items used in the production of meth along with 10 grams of a substance which field tested positive as meth. Biles’ son, Troy R. Biles, 39, and his girlfriend, Deborah Jean Merchant, 49, were also arrested on meth charges.
The senior Biles’ arrest comes over 10 years after his first arrest for meth trafficking. In late 1991, Biles was arrested by local officers for possession of methamphetamine. At the time of his arrest, he was the first person ever to be arrested for possessing the drug in Warren County.
“It’s like a revolving door,” Matheny said. “I was there when he was arrested almost 11 years ago and that was when we really hadn’t heard about meth. Things have changed a lot since then.”
The final meth lab was found at a residence on Bluff Springs Road Thursday morning. The discovery was made while officers were there to serve a warrant.
According to Matheny, several people were seeing fleeing the house when officers arrived. Several were captured near the scene. The house resident, Troy Martin, has been taken into custody on meth charges. A large, working lab was found in a back room of the residence.
In addition to Martin, also charged with meth manufacture were Carl D. Pedigo, 40; Lori L. Michael, 35; Christina L. White, 19; and David A. Redmon Jr., 19.