Children & Meth
September, 2006

In Iowa - Police charged a 32-year-old man with child endangerment and Meth manufacturing, along with five other crimes, following a traffic stop.  The man had his two-year-old son in the back seat of his car and a nearly complete Meth lab in his trunk when he was pulled over.  The child's mother was contacted and the boy is in her custody.

In Alabama - Sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic violence call discovered a 5-week-old girl in the same home where her parents operated a Meth lab.  The 32-year-old woman and 29-year-old man got into a fight at their home and both were injured. The man’s grandfather was also assaulted with a hammer.  Deputies found a working Meth lab and the infant at the residence

In Kansas – A 42-year-old man was arrested at his home and faces numerous drug charges.   He also faces a charge of aggravated child endangering because a 6-year-old was living in the home.  Members of a Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at his home and found digital scales, 139 grams of Meth, and 116 grams of marijuana, various pills and drug paraphernalia in the garage.

In Colorado – During a major Meth sting, authorities found a three-year-old girl living in a home with a Meth lab and guns.  The raid took place after an 11-month investigation.  It covered three cities and four locations; nine people were arrested.

In Ohio – While officers were investigating a home Meth lab, two women drove up to the house.  Children were in the vehicle, along with Meth.  The women were arrested, as were two men involved with the Meth lab.  The children were turned over to other family members.

In Maine - A woman arrested last winter during a raid on a Meth lab was sentenced to 50 days in jail for endangering the welfare of a child.  She received credit for time served and will not spend any additional time in jail, but she will serve six months' probation.  The woman is living in a residential home for young mothers. Her daughter, who was 3-years-old at the time of the arrest, is in state foster care.

In Texas – Two children were left motherless after a home Meth lab explosion; the man responsible was sentenced to 15-years in prison.  The 33-year-old mother suffered third-degree burns to 95-percent of her body; her injuries required more than 100 pints of blood, seven surgeries, the removal of several fingers and sewing her eyes shut. One by one her organs eventually shut down.  She survived 26 days after the explosion.  The man sustained only minor injuries.

In Illinois - A 33-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, five-months pregnant, were arrested at a home when officers served a warrant.  They each face nine counts of Meth-related charges, ranging form possession to manufacturing to child endangerment.  

In California – A mother and Meth user accused of murdering her infant son with drug-laced breast milk pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in an agreement with prosecutors.  By making the plea, she avoided a third trial for the death of her 3-month-old son.  She was convicted in 2003 of second-degree murder and four counts of felony child endangerment.  A state appeals court overturned the murder conviction in 2005; she was tried a second time in the spring of 2006.  That trial ended with a deadlocked jury and a declared mistrial.  She has now been sentenced to 10 years in prison on the conviction for endangering the infant’s life and another four years for her guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter.  Her defense attorney expects she will be eligible for parole in 18 months because of time already served and good behavior. 

In Indiana - Four people were arrested after sheriff's deputies found two Meth labs and a seven-day-old infant at a home.  Two men face a number of drug-related charges, one woman is charged with neglect of a dependent and another woman is charged with maintaining a common nuisance.  

In Missouri – A 20-year-old pregnant woman was sentenced to a year in jail after she tested positive for Meth and marijuana.  She was on probation for possession of drug paraphernalia until she tested positive for the illegal drugs. Her probation was revoked, and the judge sentenced her to the maximum sentence of a year in jail after prosecutors asked that she be placed in custody at least until she delivered her baby.

In California – An apartment cleaning crew found materials for a Meth lab in a trash bin at a complex very close to an elementary school.  Students were kept indoors while fire crews cleaned up the abandoned lab.  Investigators said the materials were enough to make eight to 10 pounds of Meth.

In California - Narcotics agents arrested a couple on suspicion of selling Meth, and took four children into protective custody.  The man and woman, both 28-years-old, were arrested in their home.  The children included the man’s 4-year-old and the woman’s 12-year-old.  The other two, a 10-month old baby and a 16-year-old, were not related to the couple and were returned to their father.  Officers found about four ounces of Meth, packaging materials and scales in the couple’s home.

In Missouri - Charges were filed against an art teacher for possessing Meth in her desk at an elementary school.  The 50-year-old woman is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and was freed on $5,000 bond.  Allegations that the teacher, with 13-years experience in the district, used and possessed Meth surfaced after a hot line call.  A school resource officer searched the suspect’s desk in the art room and turned up a mirror and magic marker covered with traces of white residue that field-tested positive for Meth.   She was arrested at her home.  The art room was shut down and no students allowed inside while it was cleaned. 

In Wisconsin - A 46-year-old man accused of providing Meth to his teenage daughter and former stepdaughter was sentenced to nine months in jail and three years of probation.  He was charged with two felony counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child, for providing Meth to and smoking it with his then-17-year-old stepdaughter, who was pregnant at the time, and his 16-year-old daughter between 2004 and 2005.  Counts of being party to a crime of sexual intercourse with a child and delivery of Meth and distribution to minors previously were dismissed, as were counts of physical abuse of a child and first-degree reckless injury.  A miscarriage the 17-year-old suffered could not solely be attributed to Meth use.  If he violates terms of his sentence, he will be sent to prison for 18 months, minus time served.

In New Mexico - Police took down what they believe to be a big Meth-making operation directly across the street from an elementary school.  When police raided the home, the entire school was put on lockdown as a precaution. Investigators took four people into custody during the raid.  The Meth operation was set up in the back part of the house in an apartment building and was in the middle of a cook at the time of the raid.  Three children, including an eight-month-old baby, were found in the house.  The baby apparently was suffering respiratory problems and was taken to the hospital for an evaluation. 

In Oregon – Two toddlers were removed from a Meth house.  A police officer was suspicious of a man walking a city street at 3:30 in the morning and stopped to talk to him.  The man had about a quarter-gram of Meth in his pocket.  Officers working a follow up investigation discovered more than five pounds of Meth in the man’s home.  The suspect and a woman living in the home were arrested for Meth possession, delivery, and manufacturing.  The suspects' daughters, one-year-old and two-years-old, were temporarily placed with relatives.  They may be placed into the state’s custody.

In Michigan - A 50-year-old man was sentenced to serve 21 months to 25 years in prison for cooking Meth in his bedroom while armed with several guns.  He admitted to being caught "red-handed" when police raided his house in February. They found him in the process of cooking Meth.  Police saw two children, 4- and 7-years old, watching television with their mother.  Loaded guns were found next to the sofa. 

In Ohio – Children were living in an apartment along with a Meth lab operated by three adults.  About 20 residents of an apartment complex were evacuated after police found an operating Meth lab in the basement of one of the apartments. The three adults were arrested.