Meth-lab suspect bound over to grand jury


Joshua Jackson
STRUTHERS
The case of a 31-year-old man accused of operating a methamphetamine lab in New Middletown was bound over to a Mahoning County grand jury Monday.
Joshua Jackson, 31, of Petersburg, is charged with four felonies, including illegal assembly and possession of chemicals, possession of drugs and burglary.
The charge of possession of drug-abuse instruments, a first-degree misdemeanor, against Jackson was dismissed, according to documents at Struthers Municipal Court.
Police and Drug Enforcement Administration officials arrested Jackson on April 3 after tipsters called police to say they suspected a meth lab was located at a Main Street home in New Middletown.
Police have said that Jackson already was on probation after facing charges of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine in Louisiana.
Jackson remained in Mahoning County jail on a $66,000 bond as of Monday afternoon.
Bob Balzano, resident agent at the DEA, said meth labs are not common in the Mahoning Valley but tend to be more prevalent in rural areas, such as southern Columbiana County.
“It’s easier to operate” in rural locations, he said.
“A lot of folks picture elaborate set-ups, but that’s not what we’re seeing in the areas that are affected. Primarily, what we see are the ‘one-pot cooks’ or method, which are very small-yielding labs,” Balzano said.
Methamphetamine is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol and is taken orally, snorted, by needle injection or by smoking, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Balzano said the drug is a stimulant and can cause severe brain damage.
“One [addict] was awake for four days. You can imagine what that does to your system,” he said.
“The tell-tale sign is their teeth are damaged to where they don’t have any [teeth] or they are falling out. But that’s a small thing when you compare it to brain damage,” he added.