Police arrest two accused of manufacturing meth at Cedar Rapids motel

CEDAR RAPIDS – Two people were arrested after police said they were manufacturing methamphetamine at a Cedar Rapids motel.

Officers responded around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday to Budget Inn, 3100 16th Ave. SW, when someone at the hotel reported a possible drug activity. The witness told police he saw a man carrying a smelly package knocking on the door for Room 123.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said officers knocked on the door to the room and Jessica L. Allie, 34, of Cedar Rapids, answered. They noticed a garbage can behind her with bottles and tubes coming from it, according to the police report. Lithium batteries, which can be used to make meth, also were found in the room, police said.

According to a criminal complaint, the items were determined to be part of an active meth lab.

While police were there, William F. McGathy, 42, of Cedar Rapids, returned to the room. He and Allie were questioned before they were taken into custody.

McGathy and Allie have both been charged with manufacturing methamphetamine and possession of precursors to manufacture methamphetamine. Both were transported to the Linn County Jail, where they remained Thursday in lieu of $10,000 bond.

Cedar Rapids police said this meth bust was actually the second at a Cedar Rapids motel in just the last two days. But investigators described that as a coincidence and not a new trend.

On December 6th, police caught several other alleged meth makers who were set up in a room at the Red Roof Inn, 3243 Southridge Dr. S.W.

Cleaning up that room wasn't expensive because police contained all the chemicals without any leaks or spills.

Motel manager Cheryl DuCharme said the damage was also limited because the staff caught on to what was happened fairly quickly.

“It could be they (meth makers) want the hotel rooms just because they think they're not going to be as closely watched by neighbors. What they don't understand is that the staff is very aware of what goes on.” DuCharme said.

In fact, DuCharme said her staff actually used a Cedar Rapids Police “checklist” of potential criminal activity that's been posted at the motel for years. Several actions prompted a call to police including the fact those who rented the room bagged their own trash, paid for a week's stay in cash and had a constant stream of visitors in and out.

Jeff Frese, who owns the Budget Inn, agreed with that assessment saying a motel is “actually the worst place to do anything wrong” because of 24 hour monitoring of the facility. Frese said his employees also use a checklist and count on police training to identify possibly illegal activity.

Police spokesperson Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said both motel employees, and the traveling public, could help identify anyone looking to use a rented room for making meth.

“If you see a lot of boxes, a lot of batteries – if you see two liter pop bottles with tubes in them, those are red flags. Call police and let us know so we can keep them from going to the next motel or coming back to your motel and doing it again,” Sgt. Hamblin said.

Hamblin added that while two meth labs discovered at motels in two days is unusual, it could be explained by something as simple as the weather.

She said meth makers may find it too cold to manufacture the drug outside in remote areas right now and maybe looking for someplace inside to get away with it.