OGDEN, Utah, Feb. 1, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The roommate of an Ogden man turned him in for allegedly cooking meth in their shared oven.
A probable cause statement from the 2nd District Court of Ogden said Ricky Haws, 40, is facing charges of:
- Operation of a clandestine laboratory, a first-degree felony
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
On Saturday, a man called dispatch to report that his roommate in the area of 500 29th St. was cooking methamphetamine, the statement said. Ogden officers arrived at the home and the man allowed officers into the common area of the home. Once inside the home, officers could smell what they described as a “chemical smell,” the statement said.
“Officers observed a measuring cup with what appeared to be crushed up pills in it on the stove in the kitchen,” the statement said. “The man told officers that last night at approximately 9 p.m. he went to cook something in the oven and discovered a pan with a liquid in it cooking in the oven. He took the substance out of the oven and his roommate, Ricky Haws, confronted him and said ‘Don’t take that out, I’m cooking meth, don’t call the cops.'”
The next morning, Haws’ roommate woke up and could smell a chemical smell in the home and could hear the oven beeping, the statement said. He went into the kitchen and discovered a pie platter in the oven with a milky white liquid in it and the oven was on. He then went outside and called police.
An officer, who is a former agent of the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force and has extensive experience in working with methamphetamine labs, was one of those who responded. He said that he could see through an open door into Haws’ room and he observed beakers, glassware, pipettes, funnels and methamphetamine pipes. From the living room, officers could observe a male identified as Haws sitting in the room. Officers said, “Are you Ricky?” and Haws got up and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
An officer asked Haws if he could see what was in the room and told him he believed it was a methamphetamine lab. Haws told the officer he was distilling alcohol. The officer asked Haws if he would let officials into the room and show them what was in there, and Haws refused. Officers advised Haws that they were going to apply for a warrant, at which point he opened the door and allowed officers into the room, the statement said. Along with the items above. they allegedly could see a notebook that had chemical formulas on it.
Agents from the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force responded to the scene and based upon the information received, applied for a search warrant for the residence, which was approved.
“A search of the residence was conducted and items indicative of a clandestine methamphetamine lab were located and seized,” the statement said. “Items that were located and seized included numerous containers of different chemicals, beakers of various sizes and shapes, as well as a notebook with chemical formulas written in it, among other items.”
Haws was read his Miranda rights agreed to speak with agents.
“During the interview, Ricky stated that he is not ‘cooking’ methamphetamine but stated that he is experimenting with chemistry,” the statement said. “Ricky stated that he is trying to make his own alcohol. Ricky was informed that items which officers located are not for making alcohol. Ricky then stated that he is attempting to remove ‘iodine’ from the pre-existing methamphetamine which he smokes to make it better. Ricky claimed that he took college chemistry in 2017 and knows what he is doing.”
Haws was on probation with Provo Adult Probation and Parole at the time of the offense.
He was transported to Weber County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
