A methamphetamine suspect may have been cooking the stuff under a bridge on Tuesday, according to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office.
James A. McDowell, 52, is being held in the Mercer County Jail on suspicion of possession of drugs after his arrest around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday near the bridge on Wabash Road, south of Ohio 219, according to the release.
A deputy responded to that area after a father called to report his children saw a suspicious male.
The deputy found McDowell, who matched the description, and found him in possession of liquid meth, which the suspect claimed he made in Indiana, according to the release.
Further investigation revealed items under the bridge that are “consistent with an outdoor methamphetamine cook operation,” according to the release.
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Lake Drug Task Force assisted in cleaning up the meth lab.
In a prepared statement, Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey acknowledged the arrest occurred because of an observant citizen. He encourages the public to report suspicious activity.
