Ex-Obituary/Six Feet Under/Massacre Guitarist Allen West Arrested for Meth Lab

In the words of The Red Chord’s Mike “Gunface” McKenzie (who brought this to our attention, although it apparently happened more than a month ago): “What the hell is going on in the metal community right now?”

First, As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis is arrested for Solicitation of Another to Commit Murder, and now this: Allen West, who has played guitar with such bands as Obituary, Six Feet Under, and Massacre, has been arrested for Drugs-Produce Methamphetamine and Drugs-Possess Listed Chemical With Manufacture Controlled Substance, reports The Tri-Count Sun Times. That’s his mugshot above.

And as if this story wasn’t already bizarre enough, it takes an even stranger twist: the cops found West’s lab after he called 911 himself. When deputies arrived at his property at Lake Panasoffkee, Florida, he claimed that two men had kicked in his front door, forcing him to flee and hide in the woods. He then requested that the deputies search his home (!!!) for the intruders; upon doing so, the officers “noticed a strong acidic odor emitting from the master bedroom,” which led them to “items [that] are commonly used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine.” At that point, needless to say, the deputies asked West to come inside and explain:

“As one of the Deputies began to question West another Deputy discovered some of the above items had been removed and placed in an ‘Igloo’ cooler. West advised the Deputies that he hid the items in the cooler to avoid getting in trouble. He advised the items were not his stating ‘They were cooking it’ without giving any other details. Allen West did confess that he had manufactured and smoked methamphetamine in his home as recently as two weeks ago.”

So basically, if West had never called the cops, he’d be free and clear right now. I do wonder if maybe some of his, um, “associates” did break into his home, but still, you have to think that a non-meth-head would have thought to get far, far away and not call the cops until he’d had time to properly hide any incriminating evidence. As opposed to, y’know, literally instructing the police to search his home.

The lab has been dismantled. West is being held on a $40,000 bond at the Sumter County Jail in Bushnell, FL, according to Lambgoat.