Meth bust made

WALKER

Diboll police Friday night discovered meth lab components after responding to a disturbance call on Hamner Street.

Jeffery Dwayne Walker, 43, was arrested on charges of possession of a chemical with intent to manufacture a controlled substance, a second-degree felony. Walker is a Diboll native who recently has lived as a transient, Investigator Brandon Lovell said. He has been a fugitive since 2006, when a pa

role violation warrant was issued against him, Lovell said.

Lovell said police officers responding to the disturbance call noticed, while talking to a resident of the house, containers that held what they recognized were components of a meth lab. They removed the residents from the house and secured it, then called for back-up and expert assistance.

Walker, Lovell said, at first gave false identifying information, but eventually came clean, saying he was "tired of running." He claimed sole ownership of the lab components. The parole violation warrant he was evading was based on a conviction for the same charge he now is facing. A second person at the house was Walker's mother, he said.

Officers were given permission to enter the residence, Lovell said. If permission had not been granted, a search warrant would have been obtained. "There was plenty of probable cause," he said.

Angelina County Sheriff 's Office narcotics officers responded to collect the contents and take them into custody, Lovell said. Sheriff 's personnel have the expertise to handle such materials in the manner prescribed by state law, he said.

Lovell praised the officers who initially responded to the call for recognizing the meth lab components and handling the situation properly and safely.

Methamphetamine is an easyto manufacture drug that is considered by many police agencies as the greatest threat to public safety among illegal drugs. The manufacturing process requires flammable chemicals and fires resulting from "cooking" meth are far from rare.