Akron duo found with meth lab in hotel room

WOOSTER -- Two Akron residents were arrested Sunday night after the duo allegedly was cooking meth in a local hotel, and had just finished a cook.

Brandon Painter, 33, and Melissa Luangkhoth, 23, both of 986 Mohawk Trail, were arrested and have been arraigned in Wayne County Municipal Court on one count of illegal manufacture of drugs.

They were still in jail Tuesday on $50,000 cash or surety bonds.

Don Hall, senior agent for the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency, said he was called to a hotel on the 900 block of Timken Road after a Wooster police officer went to the hotel room where the two were believed to be staying. Hall said the officer immediately was overcome by the heavy fumes and smell coming from the room.

Hall responded to the area to dismantle the meth lab, which had just finished producing product, according to Hall.

"They had just completed cooking in the room," Hall said, as the meth lab and finished product were found in the hotel room. "All the components were there."

He added it is believed the duo was dumping hazardous waste from the cooking process down the toilet, such as Coleman fuel, muriatic acid and ammonium nitrate.

People staying in nearby rooms at the hotel were evacuated.

Hall said after the hotel room was cleaned, he went to a residence on the 800 block of Lois Avenue on more suspected activity from the two Akron residents where Wooster police were originally called.

The Medway agent said Wooster officers were at the residence and located meth trash, or the byproducts left after cooking the drug using the "one-pot" method, such as two-liter plastic bottles and chemicals used to make meth.

An officer, Hall said, was told by a person at the residence Painter and Luangkhoth were staying there previously until they were kicked out.

Shortly afterward the officer tracked them to the Timken Road hotel.

When Hall traveled to the Lois Avenue residence, he located evidence of multiple cooks of the drug, he said.

Overall, Hall said there have been four meth labs located in the Wooster area within the past two weeks.

"That's a lot for us," Hall said shortly after returning from a call on Burnett's Corner Road, off of state Route 95, where meth trash was found dumped in a secluded, wooded area Tuesday afternoon.

Hall said there are no suspects in this separate incident.

Reporter Steve Huszai can be reached at 330-287-1645 or shuszai@the-daily-record.com. He is @GeneralSmithie on Twitter.