Officer's vigilance leads to meth lab discovery

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Around 10:30 Monday night two Frankfort men were taken in to custody after police said they discovered the men were manufacturing meth in the room of the Knights Inn.  Police are crediting the discovery of the meth lab to one vigilant officer.

33-year-old Pedro Villarreal and 20-year-old Ty Wilkerson are both sitting in the Tippecanoe County Jail.
Both are charged with manufacturing and possessing meth at the Knights Inn in Lafayette.

Sergeant Bob Baumgartner said the meth lab may not have been discovered if a patrol officer hadn't taken the time to do a little community policing.

"All of our officers are encouraged to get out, meet with the people that work in the businesses and find out how things are going, find out if they have any concerns in that. And that includes the hotels on State Road 26," said Baumgartner.

It was during one of these routine patrols at the Knights Inn that Patrol Officer Ian O'Shields came across some suspicious activity at the Lafayette motel, the door to room 232 continued to open and shut, almost as if someone was attempting to get air moving through the building.

But it wasn't until O'Shields' walk back around the property that he noticed a strong chemical smell. 

"After further investigation and making contact with the other person in the room, Officer O'Shields was able to determine that there was a meth lab cooking at the time in that room," said Baumgartner.

Though no one in the adjoining rooms complained of feeling ill, they were nonetheless evacuated as a safety precaution.

"Proper precautions were taken and any people in the rooms adjoining or nearby were evacuated until the lab could be cleaned up, and the room could be made safe," said Baumgartner.

Management at the Knights Inn refused to make any comment about the incident. Police said both men are Frankfort natives, and an official at the Tippecanoe County Jail confirmed that Villarreal is also wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court on an OWI charge.