Meth-lab bust sparks school lockdown

The elementary school on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation was briefly locked down Wednesday morning after a burglary suspect barricaded himself in a house across the street where police later discovered a methamphetamine lab.

Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 35-year-old Scott Waddell of Worley, Idaho, on suspicion of burglary and possession of stolen property. Tribal Police Chief Tom Cronin said Waddell, who is white, has long been sought by area law enforcement who suspect he is a major meth cook and distributor of the drug.

No drug charges had been filed against Waddell by Wednesday evening. He was held without bail at the Kootenai County Jail on the burglary charges and will make his first appearance in 1st District Court today.

The lockdown at Lakeside Elementary School in Worley, Idaho, lasted four minutes, Principal Joe St. John said, until the all-clear sounded. St. John said he was unaware there was a meth lab 50 feet from the school.

“The lockdown was called by police over the telephone. All the students who were outside were brought indoors to a classroom. All the doors were locked. It wasn’t a high-level lockdown,” St. John said, but rather a precaution to keep kids out of harm’s way until the showdown across the street was resolved.

The standoff lasted about 20 minutes before Waddell came out and agreed to talk with police, Capt. Ben Wolfinger, information officer for the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, said.

Detective Jason Austin of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department was in Worley early Wednesday morning investigating the weekend break-in at a shop building owned by the Worley Highway District. An estimated $20,000 in tools, paint thinners and a pickup truck had been stolen. The easily disposable nature of the stolen items – and the theft of chemicals – led highway district workers and tribal police to suspect methamphetamine users were behind the burglary, they said in recent days.

Acting on a tip, Austin approached Waddell’s residence to ask for an interview. Waddell ran into his house and locked himself inside, Wolfinger said.

This prompted the lockdown at Lakeside Elementary, law enforcement and school officials said.

“Detective Austin was able to talk Waddell into coming out,” Wolfinger said. “And when he looked inside the house, he saw stolen property. So we arrested Mr. Waddell and got a warrant.”

When the warrant came, officers had another surprise.

Opening the garage and expecting to find more possibly stolen property, police instead found a meth lab, they said.

A hazardous materials crew was called to the scene by Wednesday evening to clean up the lab. Kootenai County detectives and tribal police were still on the scene – as well as at a second residence – as the investigation widened Wednesday night.

“This is really good news. It’s a good news day,” Cronin, the tribal police chief, said.

Tribal officers and county deputies and investigators with the interagency Joint Drug Task Force have had an eye on Waddell for the last year, the chief said.

Tribal police last week arrested a woman they believe is a drug courier for Waddell, Cronin said.

As a nontribal member on the reservation, Waddell was able to stay in a gray area between jurisdictions, Cronin said.

“To get him, you have to catch him out of his house and catch him dirty. Today, they caught him out and they caught him dirty,” Cronin said.

Drug laws call for more severe penalties when meth labs are located near schools.