Backpack meth lab, suspect snagged near cemetery

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A foot chase began near a rural cemetery and ended when one suspect tried to throw a backpack with methamphetamine and a one-pot meth lab into a pond, police said.

LaGrange County sheriff's deputies were called to County Road 950 East about 8:15 p.m. Friday concerning a suspicious person on an abandoned property south of Reed Cemetery.

When the first deputy arrived, a man grabbed the backpack, ran north and then attempted to throw the bag into the water, according to a statement issued by the county sheriff's department. The deputy caught him just as other deputies arrived.

Matthew Coney, 21, of rural LaGrange, was preliminarily charged with dealing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of precursors and resisting law enforcement.

Tiffany Huffman, 41, of Topeka, fled while Coney was being chased, the statement said. She has outstanding warrants for drug related-offenses in LaGrange County, and additional charges are being forwarded to the LaGrange County Prosecutors Office.

The statement said a one-pot meth lab was found in the backpack Coney attempted to discard, as well as finished meth and several items commonly used to make meth.

The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab team was called in to process the dangerous chemicals.

Officers also reported finding other chemical items associated with making meth hidden in the back of the cemetery.

Anyone with any information about Huffman's whereabouts is asked to call the LaGrange County Sheriff's Department or Crime Stoppers.

jgnews@jg.net