Suspected meth house busted down the street from Morgan County Jail

By Gary Scott on June 20, 2016 at 2:44pm

A Jacksonville man was arrested today in connection to an alleged methamphetamine-manufacturing operation down the street from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

Thirty-seven-year-old Joshua Maxwell of the 300 block of West Court was arrested at his residence for aggravated participationg in manufacturing of the drug.

Central Illinois Enforcement Group spokesman Jamie Jackson says after state police began investigating that residence for suspected meth-manufacturing, they obtained a search warrant and executed it through the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office this morning.

Jackson says aggravated factors included a child being in the house, as well as the alleged meth operation being near a church and two schools.

Jackson couldn’t say if there was any finished product.

“At this point, we don’t know yet. We do have to treat this like it’s hazardous waste, so the Illinois State Police Meth Response Unit is taking all of the materials, all of the chemicals, they will sort that out later, and determine what the weight of any finished product or any drugs or anything like that,” he says.

Johnson says this is one of the larger meth operations he’s seen in Morgan County as a member of the Central Illinois Enforcement Group.

“It appears that the suspect probably kept a lot of [it]. Instead of throwing it away, hiding it or whatever, he just kept it here in his residence after he was finished with it,” says Jackson.

Maxwell remains in custody.

Updated with age of suspect. Correction made to name of Jamie Jackson.