Pubdate: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV) Copyright: 2004 Charleston Daily Mail Contact: http://www.dailymail.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76 Author: George Gannon, Mail staff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) MORE INJURIES SHARPEN FOCUS ON METH LABS Methamphetamine incidents have rapidly become a dangerous local trend, with two more men hospitalized this week because of injuries in what investigators believe were botched attempts to cook meth. Both incidents occurred on Charleston's West Side. Curtis Moore was recovering in a Cincinnati burn center after fumes from an alleged lab ignited while he was making the drug Sunday afternoon in his Pacific Street home, investigators say. Terry Shafer was in critical condition in West Penn Hospital's Burn Center in Pittsburgh after an alleged meth lab exploded in his kitchen on Red Oak Street late Monday. Incidents involving meth labs have been occurring in the county's more rural areas for some time now, but recently they have become an even more prominent problem in Charleston. Local officials say methamphetamine producers risk not only legal troubles, but also the safety of themselves and their families. Charleston Fire Lt. Ken Tyree said fire crews have responded to six meth lab fires in the city this year. "That's probably double what we had last year," he said. Tyree said people who cook the drug don't realize the danger they're putting themselves in until something goes wrong and they wake up in a hospital with third-degree burns. The cooking process, which involves heating highly flammable and explosive materials, is an attempt to isolate the active ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines. The process is volatile, and Tyree said anything that produces a spark can react with the fumes. Combating the problem has been an issue for law enforcement agencies across the country, and Kanawha County has been no different. Charleston Police Chief Jerry Pauley said he is scheduled to attend a meeting with the U.S. Attorney's Office to discuss what measures the city can take to fight meth. He said police get tips from the public about where to find labs, and they've also made drug lab arrests while responding to other types of calls. Legislators also need to stiffen penalties and shore up the state's meth laws, he said. Arrests are part of the battle, but once the offenders get into court, Pauley said prosecutors need to get convictions. Bill Charnock, the county's incoming prosecuting attorney, said prosecuting meth offenders will be a priority of his administration. He said he plans to assign one attorney to deal specifically with drug cases. "We'll have one person be a contact for every drug case," Charnock said. He opted not to say who that person would be, only that an announcement would be made in the coming weeks. Also, once someone has been indicted by a grand jury for a meth offense, that person will either plead guilty or have the case go to trial. They will not have the option of pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge, he said. Charnock conceded that implementing the plan will be challenging at first, but once defense attorneys realize the office won't budge, convictions should start coming at a faster clip. "We're going to take drug prosecutions very seriously," he said. Both Pauley and Charnock said arrests and convictions are important, but they agreed the business community also has to join the effort. The components to cook the drug can be found at most local department stores, and Charnock said officials want to work with business leaders so they know when to be suspicious. Sheriff-elect Mike Rutherford added that working with area businesses is important. He also wants to establish a meth tip line that would allow county residents to inconspicuously tip police about possible lab locations. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake