Broken Arrow police officers and the Broken Arrow Street Crimes Unit cleaned up a corroding meth lab in Adams Creek on Saturday afternoon after a persistent, good Samaritan reported the multiple shake and bake on Thanksgiving day.
Richard Waite and his son were walking along the creek near the Creek Turnpike and 61st Street when they spotted an ice chest with a bunch of empty bottles, and used syringes inside of it. It was sitting in the middle of the creek.
“Just enjoying being in nature as much as we can and looking for animals and things and to come across something like that is just sick,” said Waite.
The two own a nuisance wildlife control company and are used to walking in rural areas.
“Obviously that’s something you never hope you see,” said Waite.
He took some pictures and showed his wife when they went home.
“I hopped in the shower to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner and she saw the pictures on my phone and freaked out and called Broken Arrow police,” said Waite. “They called back later asking for more information but never called back to say they found it or that it was gone.”
He was worried on Thursday night when it rained that water could wash the chemicals from the meth lab into neighborhoods down the creek where he knows children play.
“I hate to see the waters, and the rivers and the streams and stuff polluted by that kind of mess,” said Waite.
What he hated more though was the lack of effort from the BAPD to clean up the mess. He went back on Friday and it was still there.
“To my shock and disappointment, if I can be honest, very disappointed that mess was still sitting there,” said Waite.
He called FOX23 News and FOX23 called the BAPD on Saturday and three officers showed up to meet with the news crew and with Waite.
“I was actually hoping it was gone, so I could apologize to you for your trouble,” said Waite. “I parked here earlier waiting for you, and looked down there and saw it again. I was disappointed because I counted the days and from what the police report is so dangerous about that stuff and for it to sit out there for that long it disappointing to me.”
Broken Arrow’s Cpl. Leon Calhoun told FOX23 News if he could have handled it differently he would have.
“If we had more information on Thursday, then maybe the officer who came out first would have located it because we want to get this properly secured and destroyed,” said Cpl. Calhoun.
He said an officer drove around the creek on Thursday, but did not locate the meth lab.
“If you pulled over to the side of the road right here where we are standing and looked over the bridge it’s right in front of you,” said Waite in disbelief that an officer could miss it. “It’s right in front of you and it’s a big open ice chest.”
The BA Street Crimes Unit poured motor oil into the four shake and bake bottles to neutralize the chemicals.
They said this meth lab looked several months old.
They have cleaned up more than 40 dumped out meth labs in Broken Arrow this year alone.
The police said if anyone sees a dumped out meth lab to not touch it and call them to report its location and possibly meet up with the officer to show him where it is located.
