Children & Meth
June, 2006

In Ohio - Shortly after a mother left home to take her three children, ages 10, 11 and 14, to school, agents raided their home in a Meth bust.  The woman's husband was arrested, and officers say he made one to two batches of Meth every other day.  Officers also found 11 weapons in the house, including a military assault rifle, one handgun, eight shotguns and rifles. 

In Michigan - Two small children were found in a home with a working Meth lab.  They were taken to the hospital for evaluation because of exposure to chemicals.  Sheriff’s deputies discovered the youngsters when they were called to investigate a possible break in at the home.  There was a working Meth lab in the kitchen and another in a back bedroom.

In Ohio - Children were allegedly present when a man and woman were making Meth.  The children were found when sheriff's deputies initially responded to a dispute between neighbors and ended up discovering the Meth lab.

In Washington - Two young children, ages 2 and 4, were found in  filthy living conditions when their 30-year-old mother woman was charged with endangerment for selling Meth in front of them. The home's sink and bathtub were dirty and apparently unused. The tub's faucets didn't work.  The woman told authorities she had never bathed her children, although she occasionally cleaned them with baby wipes.  Child Protective Services workers noted that both children had "crusted" skin around the crevices on their bodies.  The couple's home was so filthy that cockroaches scattered when detectives opened the oven. One detective had to walk outside after being overcome by the smell of mold from a bag of wet clothes.  The woman may also face homicide charges relating to the death of her newborn baby - who was born prematurely while Meth was in the mother's system.

In California – A 17-year-old girl was discovered with her 51-year-old father in a traffic stop that led to a Meth bust.  Officers found about a half-pound of Meth packaged for sale in the pickup truck.  Officers searched the man’s two houses. They found about two pounds of Meth and $20,000 in cash in one house and about seven pounds of Meth at the other. The man was arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy and transportation and sales of Meth.  The 17-year-old was taken to a juvenile facility.

In Arkansas – Two children, a three-year-old and a nine-month-old, were killed in a car crash.  A 26-year-old woman is charged with Meth possession after her involvement in the fatal accident - she had a quarter-gram of Meth in her purse.   A woman and two other children were also injured.
 
In Illinois - Three children, ages two-and-a-half, six, and ten, were found in a home during a Meth bust.  Officers discovered several precursors, including a large amount crushed pseudoephedrine, when they executed a search warrant.  A 25-year-old man is charged with Meth-related child endangerment as well as participation in Meth manufacturing, unlawful possession of Meth manufacturing materials.  A 26-year-old woman was formally charged with Meth-related child endangerment. 

In Alabama - A woman faces charges of torture after giving birth - while sitting on a toilet - to a baby that had Meth and other illegal drugs in its system.  Her husband was also arrested.  They face multiple charges of child endangerment.  The woman admitted to authorities that she smoked Meth a few hours before she gave birth. The couple has two other children.

In California - A ten-month old girl was found in the back of a van alongside her parents' portable Meth lab when a sheriff's deputy pulled the driver over for suspicion of driving under the influence.  The deputy discovered a large number of chemicals used to manufacture Meth next to the baby. Her parents were arrested and will be charged with possession of materials for a Meth lab and violating the Drug Endangerment Children Act.   The couple said they have lived in the van for the last year. 

In Illinois - An officer searching a suspect’s home after finding Meth manufacturing materials in a car turned up more Meth and lab materials, along with a 13-year-old boy and five-year-old girl living in the home.

In Florida - Officers conducting a raid on a suspected home Meth lab found at least 35 pipes, among other drug paraphernalia, around the house close to where children played, and porn movies next to Disney movies.   At the time of the raid, there were at least six children, including an infant, in the home.  A 48-year-old woman and her 44-year-old brother were arrested on various drug charges, including Meth manufacturing. The man’s Meth lab was found in the garage of a house owned by his mother.

In Michigan – A 41-year-old man and his girlfriend are charged with operating a Meth lab in the presence of two of her three girls in a home.  The mother and girls were in a bedroom when deputies arrived to talk to the man about a possible suspect in a break-in at the trailer home. The man opened the door and ran.  The two deputies reportedly found a batch of Meth cooking in the kitchen.

In California – Three children were placed in protective custody after federal agents shut down three Meth labs and arrested five people in an eight-month investigation.  Investigators say the major drug ring distributed large quantities of Meth across the nation. The children’s 37-year-old father was allegedly the ringleader who also operated a Meth lab in the home – located just two blocks from a school and a park.  The suspect's wife was arrested on state charges of child endangerment.