Local News
Another Meth Lab Bust
By
Apr 9, 2008, 06:00

Good old fashion police work on a traffic stop resulted in the discovery of methamphetamine cooking in the back seat of a car on Tuesday night.

A little after midnight, Sgt Michael Hall saw a beat up old Toyota make a wild turn onto Calhoun Street from Clay Street.  He pulled behind it and made a stop on the downtown side of the Calhoun Street bridge.

Sgt Hall spoke with the 3 individuals in the car, checked their licenses, and got different stories from them.  He spotted a cooler in the back seat of the car and went to check it.  Todd Welch aka: Yankee, sitting in the back seat, jumped out and took off running.

Video of the arrests, scene and hazmat

Todd Welch ran down the slope and into the wooded area north of Calhoun.  In the cooler, Sgt Hall found what appeared to be liquid meth.  He placed the other 2 into custody.  They were identified as Joshua Buckhaulter and Tanya McMillan.

Investigator Chris Jordan, hazmat certified, and Asst Fire Chief and Hazmat leader Doyle Welch were called to the scene.  After viewing the container setting in the back floorboard, they called out the Bainbridge Hazmat team and Chief Investigator Frank Green.

Sheriff's K9 Deputy Michael Logue with Koti also responded.  They searched the wooded area for Michael Todd.  Deputy Logue stated Koti was on his trail, also finding footprints, but after an hour, deputies were not able to make their way through the heavy brush as quickly as Koti needed.  They came out of the woods with their arms bleeding from the thorns.

The liquid meth in the car was actually cooking in the plastic gallon and a half container creating a much more hazardous situation.  Hazmat team members Chris Jordan and Sheriff's Chip Nix approached the car and took photo's.  They then secured a small sample of the liquid to be used as evidence. 

Standing by as backup were hazmat team members Doyle Welch and Jon Harrison.  In addition, Decatur County Fire Meth technicians Tony Nix and Lance Robinson and EMS were on hand.

To dispose of the meth, procedure calls for DEA notification and DEA then contacts a contracted meth disposal company.

In order to clear the road, the team removed the hazardous material, placed it on the roadside and blocked the area with cones.  Hazmat stood by waiting.  Coming from Gainesville Florida, meth disposal arrived at approximately 6:30 am and finished the clean up about an hour later.

As of 4:30 am, Joshua Buckhaulter and Tanya McMillan had been arrested and Public Safety were following leads in the search for Todd Welch.

Investigators also seized a number of precursors of a meth lab that were in the vehicle.

By manufacturing methamphetamine, these 3 showed a total lack of regard for the safety of the public and placed themselves in grave danger.