Tip leads officers to meth lab behind Decatur Co. home

DECATUR COUNTY, Tenn. — A tip about possible drug activity reportedly led officers to a meth lab in the woods behind a Decaturville home.

Jacob Cooley

Jacob Cooley is charged with initiation of manufacture of methamphetamine after officers responded to the home around 7 p.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to a report from the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, an investigator went to a home in the 500 block of Oakwood Drive after being notified of possible drug activity.

A resident at the home gave permission for investigators to walk around back of the property, and the investigator spotted a man standing in the woods, according to the report.

The investigator saw that the man, later identified as Cooley, was standing within two feet of an active meth lab, the release states.

Deputies also recovered a backpack and various meth-making ingredients and items.

The sheriff’s office conducted a joint investigation with the Decaturville Police Department, and both agencies had received numerous complaints about the amount of traffic at the property, according to the report.

The Tennessee Dangerous Drug Task Force responded and disposed of the lab at the scene.