Ohio man arrested for cooking meth in Walmart

James Richardson, 37, of Perry, Ohio finds himself arrested for allegedly attempting to manufacture crystal methamphetamine with stolen products while inside a Walmart!

Walmart’s security personal silently watched Richardson on the early evening of June 17th gathering the typical ingredients needed to create the dangerous drug. Fox8 says Police Lt. Ken Zbiegien confirms that Richardson then took his items and began mixing them together in a salt shaker. He was doing this to create methamphetamine in a process that is commonly known as “one pot” or “shake and bake.” This is the preferred method among many crystal users, and the details of how to do so can be found online with relative ease.

Essentially meth manufacturers have figured out how to reduce the steps required to make the drug down to a single process. Previously there could have been up to 30 steps. This process of creating methamphetamine is extremely dangerous and volatile. Thousands are injured every year typically because of explosions that leave people with burns, disfigurement, loss of limbs and in many cases death.

A survey quoted to The AP shows that a third of patients in burn units were there for injuries sustained by attempting to manufacture methamphetamine. The average cost of a meth burn victim’s stay in a hospital averages $130,000 and nearly all do not have insurance.

Richardson was taken into custody as he tried to flee the Walmart near Mentor, OH with the drug mixture in hand and has been charged with theft, and illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine. Shockingly this is not his first offense, and he maintains a lengthy criminal record which includes a disgrace of five felony drug convictions.

He is currently being held in Lake County jail on $75,000 bond. The first scheduled court date is June 25th.