Pleasant Gap man charged with operating a meth lab

A Pleasant Gap man faces several felony charges alleging his role in the manufacture of crystal methamphetamine.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Bellefonte police, an officer responded at about 9 a.m. Sunday to the intersection of East Howard and North Allegheny streets for a report of an unconscious man on a bench with a backpack. On arrival, the officer was reportedly able to wake the man after about 30 seconds.

The man, identified as Patrick J. Woodring Jr., 29, told the officer he stayed at a residence the previous night, police said, but could not remember the address or name of the resident he stayed with. Woodring was reportedly found to have five warrants issued by the Centre County Sheriff’s Office, and was taken into custody.

Woodring was placed in a holding cell at the station, police said, and his backpack was retrieved. The officer noted two bottles in an outside mesh area of the pack, reportedly noting one contained small white beads, balled up strands of metal and a metal strip on the bottom.

The second bottle contained a cloudy liquid, police said, and was consistent with the “one pot” method of manufacturing methamphetamine. Woodring reportedly refused to answer questions about the bottles, and said he didn’t know if there was anything in the pack that might explode and hurt officers.

When the pack was searched, police said, officers found numerous items of paraphernalia, allegedly including syringes, a “stem” smoking device with residue, a digital scale, lighter fluid, ammonium nitrite, spoons, a blow torch, numerous cellphones and a glass bowl containing a white, crystallized residue.

The residue field-tested positive for amphetamines, police said, and the state police Clandestine Lab Response Team was contacted. On arrival, technicians reported items containing acids, water reactive metals and other items consistent with the “one pot” method.

Woodring was arraigned Sunday before District Judge Thomas Jordan, according to court documents, and charged with felony counts of possession with intent to manufacture, possession of phenylpropanolamine with intent to manufacture, operating a meth lab, storing chemical waste and risking a catastrophe. He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and reckless endangerment.

Straight monetary bail was set at $50,000, court documents said, and he was taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is slated for July 26.

This story was originally published July 17, 2017 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Pleasant Gap man charged with operating a meth lab."