By Barbara Arrigoni
Oroville Mercury Register
OROVILLE, Calif. — Police activity jarred the normal quiet of Bedrock Park on Wednesday afternoon, as a helicopter flew over a nearby island in the Feather River where law enforcement personnel searched for a possible methamphetamine lab.
The search began around 3 p.m. County narcotics agents and search dogs combed the island while Oroville police detained five people in a clearing at the edge of the low-flow lagoon, near the bike path to the park.
More individuals were on the island.
At the clearing, Oroville Police Lt. Al Byers confirmed one of the women detained, Rebecca Boolin, 36, was arrested in possession of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine.
Police have known about the area for awhile and suspected there was a problem there, said Byers, adding that they obtained information leading to the island area.
The search was expected to take awhile.
“There are lots of nooks and crannies here,” Byers said. “We will look around, see if we can locate it.”
He said officers located at least one person on the island who had a large quantity of the drug.
Oroville Police officer David Brining and a police dog assisted with the search. Butte Interagency Narcotics took over the search from police.
Oroville Fire Department was on standby at the park in case they had to go in and do a hazardous materials cleanup.
Byers said the helicopter was used to help officers keep an eye out for people on the island.
Officials were still investigating by deadline.
Copyright 2011 Oroville Mercury Register