Utica area is latest meth scene

The report of a loud explosion followed by a scream and what deputies discovered after knocking on a door near Utica make for latest scene of methamphetamine manufacturing in Oconee County, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Deputies say that when they arrived at 430 Village Creek Circle, they detected the smell of chemicals and a haze of smoke inside the trailer home, though the trailer occupants claimed the smoke came from cigarettes. Officers say they found drug paraphernalia in the bathroom including baggies, scales, and materials used in the manufacture of meth. The man who gave officers permission to search, 41-year old Bobby Jay Eugene Shead, was charged with manufacture, distribution of methamphetamine first offense. A crew arrived to clean the area and Shead was arrested.