Sheriff ask for public’s help to find meth cooks

 The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating two people, who fled from a flipped car late Wednesday evening where deputies found an active methamphetamine lab inside.

The accident happened about 8:53 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 204 and Gibson Lane.

K-9 Deputy Kirk Mays responded to the wreck and learned that a 2001 four-door tan Mazda car had hit an embankment and flipped several times, according to witness accounts.

A witness told police that two people climbed out of the vehicle and ran off before officers arrived.

"At the wreck scene, Deputy Mays noticed a strong chemical odor smell coming from inside of the vehicle," Sheriff Colan Harrell said in a press release. "Upon investigation, it was determined that an active methamphetamine lab was inside the vehicle."

Emergency responders closed the roadway for public safety until 11:55 p.m. Wednesday in order to clean up the meth lab.

While deputies are looking into a person of interest, the sheriff’s department is asking for anyone, who has information about the people involved in the wreck, to contact Mays at the sheriff’s department during regular business hours at 549-6006 or after hours through Whitley County dispatch at 549-6017.

"The subjects may possibly be hurt or may need to seek medical attention. We are asking the public for any information they may have," Harrell said.

Harrell said that mobile meth labs are a great safety concern to the public and that his department will do everything within the law to locate the suspects and seek criminal charges against them.

Sgt. Tim Baker, Detective John Hill, Kentucky State Police Drug Enforcement Special Investigations and the Woodbine Volunteer Fire Department assisted Mays at the scene.