Cops and Cuffs: New Meth Method Causes Spike in Cases

EAST TEXAS—East Texas law enforcement has been busy with several recent crime stories across the area.

Methamphetamine makers have found an easier way to make their product. As a result, the new method is causing a spike in cases across the country. The Associated Press reports the "shake and bake" method only calls for a two litre bottle, a few handfuls of cold pills and some chemicals.

Authorities report a murder suicide in Van Zandt County that occurred on Monday night. Police report the Van Zandt County Sheriff's office received a call claiming a woman's grandmother had been shot. Upon arrival, Sheriff's deputies found the grandmother dead from a gunshot wound and a man who had killed himself.

Henderson County's drug enforcement unit conducted a three month narcotics investigation in Athens. The investigation resulted in ten arrests. All of the charges involved manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, primarily crack cocaine in the Athens area.

In Longview, police arrested five people for committing a series of car burglaries. Police located one of the stolen cars and found several items of stolen property inside the vehicle. Three of the five people arrested were juveniles.