Long Branch police officer accused of running meth lab at home
LONG BRANCH A 50-year-old police officer has been suspended without pay amid accusations that he was making illegal drugs in his basement and shed.
Christopher Walls, a township resident and 19-year veteran of the Long Branch Police Department, was arrested on Sunday and faced charges of running a methamphetamine lab, while also leaving multiple guns in an open, unlocked safe in the same home as a child, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.
Long Branch police responded to a call about a domestic disturbance on Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. at Walls’ home on the 300 block of West End Avenue.
Long Branch Cop Accused Of Operating Meth Lab At Home - Long Branch-Eatontown, NJ - A 19-year police officer has been suspended without pay after he was arrested and accused of operating a meth lab at his home.
The New Jersey State Police Hazmat Unit was called to the home and discovered materials, chemicals and instruments consistent with a methamphetamine laboratory in the basement and a shed on the property, prosecutors said. The investigators also determined that Walls had books related to making meth, explosives and poison, they said.
Officers on scene Saturday night also recovered a stash of weapons left in open and unsecured safe, prosecutors said. Two long guns, four handguns, eight high-capacity magazines and lots of ammunition were reportedly recovered.
“The officers in our agency risk their lives daily to protect and serve our residents. It is disappointing beyond measure that one of our officers could have risked the safety of his family and neighbors by engaging in such dangerous conduct. This officer’s actions do not reflect the moral compass of our officers or this agency,” Acting Long Branch Police Chief Frank Rizzuto said.
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A 19-year veteran police officer with the Long Branch Police Department has been suspended without pay after being arrested for operating a methamphetamine lab at his home, authorities said.
Christopher Walls, 50, of West End Avenue was charged on Sunday with various offenses related to manufacturing and maintaining a meth laboratory at his home, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Walls also was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, Gramiccioni said.
“Thanks to the swift action of our office, the Long Branch Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police, a very serious risk to public safety has been averted, Gramiccioni said.