Woodbury Police Officer John Fesmire was dispatched to the ball fields/JPM Horse Arena on July 30 in reference to a dog that had attacked a goat.
While investigating in report, Officer Fesmire learned that the owners, after the attack, had taken the dog and gone swimming at the Stones River just behind the ball fields.
Upon finding the dog and its owners, Walter Bess and Wendy Mears, Officer Fersmire escorted them back to the parking lot where the dog attack had occurred.
Prior to leaving to find Bess and Mears, Officer Fesmire had told a group of people who were wanting to go swimming to just wait until he came back and say it was okay. Once Officer Fesmire returned with Bess and Mears, he told the group they could now go to the river.
Soon after, that group of people called the 911 Dispatch Center to report that they had found some suspicious items. WPD Sergeant John House and Officer Fesmire detained Bess and Mears.
Officer Fesmire then went back to the swimming area where it was discovered that Bess and Mears had been cooking methamphetamine when Officer Fesmire had walked up and interrupted the process earlier.
Bess and Mears had thrown most of the items in the water; however, the group of people retrieved the one pot from the water before realizing what it was.
A cooler was fished out of the water by Cannon County Sheriff's Sgt. Randy Neal using a large limb. The cooler contained more items essential to the manufacturing process of methamphetamine.
The Tennessee Meth Task Force was contacted for a meth response truck driver to come to the scene. Once there, all harmful/hazardous was neutralized and contained for disposal. More items, including a jug of acid, was found in Bess’ car that required neutralizing and disposal.
Assistance in the investigation was provided by Sgt. John House, Sgt. Randy Neal, CCSD Deputies Reed Bryson, Steve McMillen, and Travis Turney, as well as Transport Officer Todd Overcast. More arrests may be pending.
Wendy Mears and Walter Bess were charged by Officer Fesmire with Initiation of process to manufacture meth, possession of paraphernalia, and dog at large. A bond was set at $53,000.00 with a court date of September 27, 2011 in General Sessions Court before the Honorable Judge Susan Melton.