Broken Arrow Couple Hides Meth Lab In Daughter's Backpack

By Craig Day, The News On 6

BROKEN ARROW, OK  -- A Broken Arrow couple was arrested Tuesday evening after Broken Arrow Police stopped a vehicle containing a rolling meth lab. Police say the department's street crimes unit stopped the car in the 2200 block of East Kenosha at about 10 p.m. 

It's a sad reality that meth lab busts are common in Oklahoma, but this mobile lab bust is really sad. Two kids, ages 1 and 2, were also in the car.

Kids that close to hazardous materials like Drano and lighter fluid is bad enough. The hiding spot where the chemicals were stashed makes it even worse.

"It's a Dora the Explorer backpack.  A little pink one," said Major Carole Newell of the Broken Arrow police department.

That's right - the 2-year-old's Dora backpack.

The parents, Cecil and Melissa Martin, both 34-years-old, were arrested on complaints of manufacturing methamphetamine.  Police say Melissa Martin also had a small amount of marijuana on her when she was arrested.

Parents in the community expressed outrage.

"It's horrible; it's horrible," said Broken Arrow parent Ashley Rich. "I can't even imagine.  I really can't even imagine why anybody would want to do something like that."

"That's insane," said Shelly Smith, a Broken Arrow parent. "That is just too dangerous for little kids to even be around it."

"It's horrible to think that somebody would sacrifice a small child's innocence for their lawbreaking," Rich said.

Police say it wasn't an operational meth lab, but all of the ingredients for one were found in that backpack.

"I would like to say that I'm surprised and astonished, but the fact of the matter is, we've seen them hide it in all manner of things," Major Newell said.

The children are now in state custody.