Marion Police Chase Ends With Discovery of Mobile Meth Lab
The following information was provided by the Marion Police Department. Arrests do not indicate a conviction.
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Marion police detective Lance Miller said a routine traffic stop ended in the discovery of a mobile meth lab.
Miller said an officer tried to stop the car for speeding, but instead of pulling over, it took off. The chase soon ended when the car crashed into a fence on Fifth Avenue.
Once police looked inside the car, they discovered what appears to be the reason for the chase: a mobile methamphetamine lab, according to police.
Miller referred to the set-up as a "one-pot cook," where meth ingredients are mixed into a soda bottle. He said this particular method allows for mobility but is extremely dangerous.
The investigation is ongoing, but so far one Cedar Rapids man has been charged in connection with the incident.
Alex Sierra, 18, was charged with suspicion of manufacturing methamphetamine, interference with official acts and traffic charges relating to the chase.
Beth Dalbey
4:29 pm on Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Isn't making meth on the run like this a little driving a bomb down the highway?
Scott Raynor
5:10 pm on Wednesday, April 11, 2012
That's pretty accurate.
Miller told me that there are just a number of ways for things to go drastically wrong when you are mixing these chemicals together. For example, lithium is one of the chemicals they use and it supposedly reacts violently with water.