Former Officer Michael Burch Arrested for Making Meth

A former Bennington police officer is behind bars following an arrest for methamphetamine manufacture, authorities said this morning.

Michael Shane Burch, 34, Bennington, was booked into jail late Wednesday afternoon for suspicion of methamphetamine manufacture and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.

Deputies said he was arrested at a residence east of Bennington and that he had items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine inside a diaper bag.

Another person, Jessica Kay Saddler, 21, Bennington, was arrested for endeavoring to manufacture methamphetamine, according to jail records.

Burch had been a Bennington police officer in the late 1990s, according to court records.

No one answered the telephone at the Bennington Police Department this morning.

The Bryan County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force was preparing an affidavit at press time on the arrests and additional details were not available.

In other crime news, a man stole a 30-pack of beer this morning after the store clerk told him he could not purchase it because it was after legal hours.

According to a report by Durant Police Patrolman Drew Hale, the man placed the beer on the front counter at EZ Mart on Washington Avenue. He grabbed the beer and ran after the clerk told him it was after 2 a.m.

The store has video surveillance that the clerk said would be available from the store’s manager.

Patrolman Scott Phelps arrested a man at Walmart Wednesday morning who was walking around the store eating a package of meat he had picked up at the deli. Police were dispatched to the store called about an intoxicated person. When Phelps arrived, he found a 33-year-old man and saw a half-empty bottle of vodka in a pants pocket.

Phelps also found a camera that the man had concealed, plus two mosquito repellent devices attached to his belt, according to the report.

A manager told Phelps that the man also took a package of sandwich meat and was eating it while walking around the store. He was booked into jail.

Also at Walmart on Wednesday, Patrolman Damon Lewis arrested a woman store personnel had seen put drill bits in her purse and drink a soda pop without paying for it.