Photo for Headline Surfer® /NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- An alert construction worker helped police catch a homemade chemist turned burglar the day after Thanksgiving.
Just after 8 a.m., a construction worker called 9-1-1 to report smoke coming from the men’s restroom in Detwiler Park, 701 Oakwood Ave. The worker also saw a young man running from the area carrying a bag and Justin Hill, 20, of New Smyrna Beach, was apprehended a short time later and charged with trying to cook up meth in the men's bathroom at Detwiler Park.
The dim-witted meth-cooking episode in the park bathroom comes in at No. 83 in the HeadlineSurfer.com countdown of the top 100 local stories of 2014.
Here 's a synopsis of what happened as described by New Smyrna Beach Police: Cops responded and found the remnants of what appeared to be a single-pot meth lab in the restroom. The lab consisted of one 2-liter plastic bottle.
Police in conjunction with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office East Side Narcotics Task Force found evidence to help them identify Justin Hill, 20, of New Smyrna Beach.
Within hours, investigators tied Hill to a Nov. 25 burglary of a home on Bouchelle Drive. Hill was later apprehended at another local business and was charged with manufacturing methamphetamines and burglary.
There was no damage to the park's men's bathroom.
It was the fifth time Hill had been arrested in 2014 on drug-related charges.
RECAP
The HeadlineSurfer.com Countdown of the Top 100 Local Stories of 2014...
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