3 Charged in Meth Lab Bust

SARASOTA, FL — An anonymous tip about a possible meth lab operating in an apartment on Gateway Avenue in Sarasota sparked an investigation that ultimately led to three arrests.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, it received the tip late Sunday night from a caller who said residents of 6370 Gateway Ave. were cooking meth and had allegedly caught a mattress on fire inside the apartment while doing so.

Acting on that tip, detectives obtained a search warrant that was carried out early Monday morning. Once inside the home, deputies found 122.6 grams of liquid methamphetamine. Since an active meth lab was also found in the home, deputies evacuated apartments in the immediate area and closed Gateway Avenue to traffic until it was determined the home was safe, a media release from the agency stated.

Jared Broome, 24, and Patrick McClain, 42, were both charged with manufacture of methamphetamine and trafficking in methamphetamine. Kyle Cartwright, 18, was charged with violation of probation for being present in the home while meth was being manufactured, an arrest report stated. Cartwright was on probation for burglary.

Photo of detectives in protective gear field testing suspicious liquid found inside the home courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Booking photos are as follows: Broome, McClain and Cartwright, also courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.