NORWICH – A 27-year-old Norwich man was charged with manufacturing meth and now sits at the Chenango County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Michael A. Pierce, 27, was located by members of the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police in a parking lot of a business in the Town of Norwich on Thursday. According to authorities, Pierce was in possession of several items used to manufacture and sell methamphetamine using the ‘one pot’ method.

“We now are seeing a tremendous influx of methamphetamine or ‘meth’ with this latest arrest,” said Chenango County Sheriff Ernest R. Cutting Jr. “We are again seeing the disposal of dangerous byproducts in these "one pot" methods of manufacturing drugs. These byproducts are extremely caustic requiring specialized cleanup crews to secure this waste.”

Said Cutting, “Drugs continue to plague our county, impacting families and friends in profound ways. The next serious public health issue related to the drug epidemic is the byproducts that users discard across our county roadways, parks and parking lots. These are the needles heroin users discard which have the potential to impact lives with accidental needle sticks which could lead to Hepatitis or a number of other blood borne diseases.”

“Once he was identified as the suspect, law enforcement worked quickly and efficiently to make sure they could stop him,” said Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride.