On September 23, 2011 at about 5:30 pm the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office arrested James Matney (08/14/59) of Imboden and Patrick Bell (07/22/69) of Jonesboro for possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to manufacture meth, possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture meth, endangering the welfare of a minor and for manufacturing meth in the presence of a minor. The arrest came after a deputy notice a pickup truck with a small child not in a child seat go by him near Black Rock. The deputy stopped the truck to check on the child. When the deputy spoke with the occupants he noticed a plastic tube sticking out from the truck seat. The young child was 6 years old. A check of both subjects showed that Matney did not have a driver’s license and that Bell had warrants out of Jonesboro. At this time another deputy and the Black Rock police arrived on scene to assist the deputy. The officers were given consent to search the truck and found a working shake & bake meth lab. Officers also found pseudoephedrine. A child’s sippy cub was being used as an HCL generator in the manufacturing process. DHS was contacted and took the child into protective custody. Both subjects were transported to the Lawrence County Jail to await a bond hearing. Matney is also a registered sex offender rated at a level 3.
For more information on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, visit their site at www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com .
