By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

RESERVE — What started as litter investigation led to two Reserve men’s arrests when the truck they were in was discovered to be loaded with meth-making equipment.

The men’s arrests Friday came just days after five people were arrested in LaPlace on creation or operation of a clandestine meth laboratory charges.

“Meth labs have not been traditionally found in St. John Parish,” Sheriff Mike Tregre said, adding recently there has been an uptick in the crime.

He said because meth is relatively inexpensive to make, it sometimes becomes the drug of choice for people who can’t afford more elite narcotics.

A St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to Homewood Place in Reserve at 6:27 p.m. Friday after two men in a green pickup truck were seen dumping trash.

The deputy saw two men in a green truck leaving the area and attempted to stop the driver on River Road. However, the driver refused to pull over, eventually stopping at a residence in the 100 block of East 15th Street.

“The driver fled on foot, and the deputy detained the passenger for further investigation,” a release from the Sheriff’s Office said.

When detaining the truck’s passenger Friday, the deputy saw coffee filters, rubber tubing, a white powdery substance and bottles containing unidentified liquids in the truck, authorities said.

“These items are consistent with items used to set up a clandestine laboratory,” the release said. “The deputy also smelled a chemical odor emitting from the truck. Narcotics detectives obtained and executed a judicial court authorized search warrant for the truck.”

Detectives recovered two coffee filters containing methamphetamine residue, .3 grams of methamphetamine and a measuring cup containing methamphetamine residue.

Because of the volatile nature of methamphetamine laboratories, detectives called a specialized company to disassemble the laboratory safely.

Detectives identified the driver as Christopher Trosclair, 32, of East 15th Street in Reserve and obtained an arrest warrant for him.

Christopher Trosclair turned himself in to deputies at Sherman Walker Correctional Center at 10:12 p.m. Sunday. He was booked with possession of methamphetamine, creation or operation of a clandestine laboratory, flight from an officer, turn signal required, stop sign violations and an outstanding arrest warrants for simple battery and theft under $500. He remains in jail in lieu of a $41,750 bond.

The truck’s passenger was identified as Kerry Trosclair, 30, of Millet Drive in Reserve. Detectives booked him with possession of methamphetamine, creation or operation of a clandestine laboratory and an outstanding bench warrant for failure to appear in court for a 2013 arrest for narcotics charges that included creation or operation of a clandestine laboratory.

He remains in jail in lieu of a $78,500 bond and a Louisiana Probation and Parole detainer.

Authorities said they did not know of any family relationship between Christopher Trosclair and Kerry Trosclair.