Police: Maintenance worker uncovers drug lab at Lafayette apartments

LAFAYETE, Ind. — A Lafayette man was charged Friday after a maintenance worker observed drugs inside the tenants apartment, according to prosecutors.

The maintenance worker, Dick Waterstraat, called police on Thursday after entering an apartment at Pheasant Run Apartments, 3093 Pheasant Run Drive, and seeing "concerning items in plain view," according to an affidavit filed on Friday.

After taking photos of the items and leaving the apartment, Waterstraat called police.

Lafayette police officers obtained a search warrant and found the tenant, Jacob Paul, 19, inside the apartment and items police say are used to manufacture drugs, including a gas mask, glass containers, scales, torches and bottles of chemicals, according to the affidavit.

Police also found bags containing about five grams of a white-yellow crystalline substance consistent with dimethyltryptamine or DMT, a psychedelic drug, and a container growing psilocybin mushrooms, according to the affidavit.

Paul admitted to police to manufacturing several batches of the two drugs inside his apartment since December and using the DMT, according to the affidavit.

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A semi-automatic rifle and ammunition was also found, which Paul also admitted to police he owned.

Prosecutors charged Paul with two counts of manufacturing a schedule one substance, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and maintaining a common nuisance.

Paul remained incarcerated Saturday at the Tippecanoe County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 surety and $10,000 cash bond according to online jail records.

Nikos Frazier is a visual journalist for the Journal & Courier. Email him at nfrazier@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @nikosfrazier.