A 37-year-old former Merrill man, identified as one of Lincoln County’s most wanted, has been arrested.
Deputies began searching for Christoper D. Meindel in May of 2013 after he failed to appear in Lincoln County Court to answer charges related to the manufacture and delivery of methamphetamine in the Merrill area. In March of 2013, Meindel had been released on a signature bond by a Lincoln County Judge after he was charged with four felonies related to methamphetamine production and distribution.
Meindel had been linked to 46 methamphetamine labs that were located in the Town of Corning in fall of 2012 and spring of 2013. Meindel had been staying at a temporary living facility in Merrill and was being monitored by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections when he cut off his ankle bracelet and fled in May of 2013. Shortly after he fled, deputies learned that Meindel was making statements that led them to believe he was armed and was a threat to law enforcement.
On Thursday morning just after 1 a.m., police officers at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee noticed a suspicious person hanging around in the parking lot of the facility. When he was approached, Meindel immediately volunteered information to them that he was armed and he was taken into protective custody. During a search, officers found numerous edged weapons, two air soft handguns which closely resembled firearms, and methamphetamine.
Meindel refused to identify himself, so he was brought to the nearby West Milwaukee Police Station where his fingerprints were checked and the felony warrants through Lincoln County and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections were located.
At this time, Meindel is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail as local prosecutors review charges in Milwaukee County. When he is completed with the Milwaukee County charges, Meindel will be brought back to the Lincoln County Jail to face charges here.