Charges are pending against two Licking men after Texas County Sheriff’s Department officers discovered evidence of methamphetamine being manufactured Monday at their residences.
Lt. Melissa Dunn said for the past few weeks, the department had been receiving information regarding the possible location of a meth lab at a residence on Kitchem Road at Licking. Officers responded to the area Monday morning and found a large burn pile about 15-feet from the house containing evidence of meth.
The homeowner gave officers consent to search the residence and the adjacent acreage and indicated that a room in home had been rented to a man who was gone at the time, who also had a travel trailer parked outside.
Dunn said the man was later found hiding in a closet in another room in the home, and a large quantity of items used to produce meth were found in his travel trailer. Items were also found in the man’s room connecting him with the gear in the trailer.
A report was sent to the county prosecutor seeking charges against the man.
At the scene of the meth bust, William S. Callahan, 54, of Licking, was arrested for having an active Texas County warrant for possession of controlled substance. He was taken to the Texas County Jail.
On Monday night, the sheriff’s department received another tip about another meth cook taking place.
Officers this time responded to a residence at Licking, where a man stated that he knew where another man was in the process of cooking meth. The officers went to a home on Robertson Lane at Licking, and smelled a strong chemical odor.
After the residence was secured and cleared, a search warrant was sought. But while waiting for the warrant, a male resident gave officers consent to search. Dunn said a working “shake-and-bake” meth production operation was found in the bathroom sink.
A report was sent to the county prosecutor seeking charges against a man who has been convicted of similar charges in the past. The man also reportedly now faces a parole violation charge.