Cops: Iowa Taco Bell Employee Arrested for Starting Meth Lab at Work

In a statement, Taco Bell admitted that one of the two men was an employee but that he has since been fired.

Police were alerted to the scene by calls of a suspicious person outside the fast food branch in the early hours of the morning.

Police arrested 31-year-old Christopher Adam Matos and 56-year-old Kent “Jerome Dooby”. Police found additional items used in meth-making.

Signs on the Taco Bell drive-through state that the restaurant is temporarily closed. Inside, officers say they found a makeshift lab in the utility area, along with 1 to 2 grams of methamphetamine. It was unclear how long the lab was in operation.

The Taco Bell restaurant in Grand Rapids, Iowa (not pictured) that was used as a meth lab will reopen after inspection of health department officials. “We have more experience with meth labs in residential settings, in rental properties”.

The suspicious items and hazardous materials never entered the kitchen area.

While Iowa doesn’t haven’t a state law determining standards for meth lab cleanups, the IPHD is following the standards of other states as a measure, said James Hodina, environmental public health manager with the department. Duby escaped his one charge of conspiracy to manufacture meth due to insufficient evidence.

The Linn County attorney’s office charged Matous with manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and three counts of possession of meth precursors, The Gazette reported.

Thus, folks in Cedar Rapids are now a bit concerned that the employee’s impromptu meth station poses a health risk.

The Taco Bell is closed and will be examined and decontaminated by “professional environmental experts”, the county’s public health department told KWWL.

Hodina said it appeared this was Matous’s only stab at attempting to cook meth at the Taco Bell location and that it took place after business hours.