Update on Plaza meth lab case

Kevin Haywood, arrested last week in connection to a methamphetamine lab discovered in a historic Plaza adobe, is free after spending five days in the county jail.

Bail had been set at $103,000. Haywood, 44, was to be arraigned Tuesday on felony charges relating to the crude lab discovered during a Jan. 13 search of 579 First St. East. Instead, according to the district attorney’s office, the initial court date has been moved to early February.

The meth lab is believed to be the first ever found within Sonoma city limits.

“It was a very crude,” said Sonoma Police Sgt. Spencer Crum. “There was no heat source; nothing was cooking, nothing was bubbling.”

The lab was not operational. No processed or packaged meth was found, said Crum. The lab was unsophisticated and looked to be at the experimental stage, he said.

The lab was disabled and the house cleared of chemicals by a Department of Justice drug team.
Had there been toxic fumes or any danger of explosion, the neighborhood would have been evacuated. “The area is safe,” Crum said.

The illegal materials were discovered in the back living quarters of the home, a stately, tree-fronted bungalow. It was built in 1847 and is a registered California state landmark.

The unassuming structure sits less than a block from the Plaza. A church and two schools are nearby.
It is owned by Haywood’s mother. She has been out of town since the holidays, police said. It is likely that Kevin Haywood, who was known previously to reside on Hyde Road, moved into the house at that time.

Haywood, the son of wine Peter Haywood, is well known to police. He has been arrested 12 times since 2004 on charges including theft, vandalism and resisting arrest.

Currently on probation, he was stopped by police when walking along the Plaza about noon on Jan. 13. Terms of the probation allowed the search of his current residence.

Police said Haywood, who had an unlit marijuana joint in his hand when contacted, was at first uncooperative, but ultimately gave them the First Street address.

As part of an investigation of a string of restaurant burglaries, Sonoma Police are actively contacting and interviewing all persons on probation.

As a name on that list, Haywood “was on our radar,” Crum said.

Complicating the search were four dogs on the premises. Haywood had three pit bulls and was caring for a friend’s mastiff. All four were deemed by authorities to be dangerous and, with the aid of pepper spray, were removed by animal control officers.

In another twist, dog-owning friend turned up at the house during the police activity. He was recognized as a suspect in a December shoplifting incident, and arrested.

The now-dismantled meth lab is believed by police and city staff to be the first to be found within Sonoma city limits.