Staff Writer

Aug. 23, 2000 10 PM

The Pike County Sheriff’s Department put two suspected methamphetamine labs out of operation Tuesday afternoon.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., search warrants were executed simultaneously at 10006 Alabama Highway 51 and 408 County Road 151, where authorities found chemicals and containers used in the manufacturing of crystal meth, said Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas.

Cathy Wilson, 22, was arrested during the warrant execution on Highway 51. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, second degree and possession of drug paraphernalia.

During that search, authorities recovered $650 in cash, one gallon of methamphetamine oil, two grams of marijuana, several glass meth smoking pipes and snorting pipes, one gram of crystal meth, two microwave ovens allegedly used in cooking meth and assortment of chemicals and containers believed to have used in manufacturing crystal meth, Thomas said.

John Terrell Lewis, 34, and Tammy Lewis, 29, were arrested during the investigation on County Road 151. Both were charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, second degree and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Items seized during that search included: 1.5 gallons of methamphetamine oil, a quarter ounce of marijuana, five grams of crystal meth, two containers of chemicals used to process crystal meth and a large amount of other chemicals and containers used in the manufacturing of crystal meth.

Bonds for the three individuals had not been set as of Wednesday afternoon.

Thomas said items believed to have been stolen were also recovered. Those items included four microwave ovens, 11 guns, a Go-Cart and a vacuum cleaner.

The sheriff said the information gained by his department during the investigations is part of ongoing investigations.

"As sheriff, I feel we made a tremendous impact on the crystal meth business and we will continue to work long and hard to do what is needed," Thomas said.

"As a result of shutting down these kinds of operations, we will, hopefully, deter other criminal activity, such as theft and burglary because people commit these types of crimes to support their addictive habit."

Thomas credited thorough investigative measure in putting the methamphetamine labs out of operation and the perpetrators behind bars.

"These kinds of investigations do not just happen," Thomas said. "It takes a lot of time and effort to make it all come together."

The sheriff’s department was assisted by the Troy Police Department, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, the Enterprise Police Department and members of the 12th Judicial Drug Task Force. The Department of Forensic Sciences and the Drug Enforcement Agency also assisted in the clean-up of the chemicals.