"It contained what appeared to be a disposable meth lab," said Ohio Department of Natural Resources Central District Law Enforcement Manager Brad Copeland.
It’s possible that the perpetrators left the materials to cook while they watched from a safe distance, Copeland said. The chemicals used to make meth are highly caustic and flammable.
The investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been identified. The hazardous materials were safely removed by BCI officers and no contamination occurred in the park, Copeland said.
He oversees officers at 12 parks, including John Bryant in Greene County, and said mobile meth labs are rare in Ohio State Parks.
“We’ve had them before on state property,” he said. “This isn’t an epidemic within Ohio State Parks by any means.”
A wooded area with thousands of acres is likely to tempt meth makers, said Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly, but it hasn’t been a problem on county or state land locally.
“They’ve found ways to cook it almost anywhere,” Kelly said. “The bad thing is an innocent bystander could walk up on this.”
But the low cost of heroin in the area has kept the prevalence of meth down, Kelly said.
On Wednesday, his deputies made a bust of three alleged drug-dealers in New Carlisle in which a large amount of heroin and cash was seized.
“But these individuals, according to our investigation, also had meth,” Kelly said.
All law enforcement officers in the state are trained to look out for and recognize the ingredients and tools used to cook meth, Copeland said.
“If you see a bag or container that doesn’t look right, notify a local officer,” he said.
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