Meth offender arrested

A violent felon with meth lab equipment in his book bag attempted to hide from Bloomington police in an attic Thursday.

Detectives responded to the 3000 block of South Walnut Street to a reported suspicious chemical odor in the area, according to court documents.

When officers arrived they smelled ether, indicative of a meth lab, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Joe Crider said.

Police heard a noise in the attic while speaking with the complainant. After obtaining a warrant, the officers returned.

Bloomington police and state troopers from the meth suppression team found Shelby Arnold Chandler, 36, hiding in the attic with a bag of materials for a meth lab, according to court documents.

Inside the home, police found a .22 caliber revolver on a shelf with a small bag of meth along with a large amount of meth precursors throughout the residence.

Police also arrested Chandler’s brother Jeremiah Oakley, 28, and Ashea Lucas, 25, for possession of meth, possession of precursors and maintaining a common nuisance, all class D felonies. Lucas faces an extra preliminary charge of child neglect, also a class D felony, with bond set at $50,000 surety and $500 cash.

Oakley told police the handgun belonged to his brother, but Chandler answered police incoherently saying he did not want to talk about it, according to court documents.
In December 2013 Oakley was released from jail for a 2012 trafficking with an inmate charge, a class C felony.

Chandler faces charges of serious violent felon in possession of a firearm, a class B felony, and possession of precursors with intent to manufacture meth, a class D felony.

He cannot be released on bond because of a pending case from 2008 for dealing narcotics, a class A felony, and three counts of dealing a controlled substance, class C felonies.

Dennis Barbosa

This story was updated March 9.