Six children taken to hospital after meth lab found in W’burg apartment complex; four people arrested

Six children were taken to the hospital early Friday morning after Williamsburg police discovered a methamphetamine lab inside the apartment complex where they were living.

Williamsburg police charged Lakin P. Ayers, 23, Darren L. Canada, 26, Krysten M. Stevens, 25, and Steven B. Perkins, 28, all with first-offense manufacture of methamphetamine, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and six counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.

All four were lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center.

About 6 a.m. Friday, Williamsburg Police K-9 Officer Jason Strunk and Officer Cody Jeffries received a report through 911 about a strong chemical odor coming from 55 Crisp Court in apartment number two.

Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said the apartment buildings at Crisp Court are very small, and the building in question only had four apartments inside it.

Bird said that the minute the officers went into the enclosed breezeway, they were overwhelmed by the chemical smell.

"The officers knew they would have to get out pretty quickly," Bird said. "When they knocked on the door of apartment number two they quickly learned that is where it was coming from so they secured everybody. There was an active one-step meth lab in the bathroom."

Williamsburg police also recovered six grams of finished methamphetamine in addition to the active meth lab inside the apartment.

Kentucky State Police Drug Enforcement Special Investigations officers responded to the scene to clean up the meth lab.
Bird said that the wanton endangerment charges stem from six children being present in the building although they weren’t in the actual apartment where the methamphetamine was being manufactured.

"A couple of children woke up that morning showing effects from the chemical odor," Bird said. "You have to understand these apartments are two on the bottom and two on the top.

"The apartment where the meth lab odor was located was on the bottom so that odor was traveling up through the exhaust vents in the apartment and was filling the building. There were some kids directly above it."

In addition to the methamphetamine fumes, which can be damaging to one’s health, Bird said the wanton endangerment charge was also filed because meth labs tend to be discovered when they blow up.

"This one was an extreme fire hazard," Bird added. "These people had acid inside of Ziploc baggies that is definitely not the proper container for it. Had that acid leaked through those bags then you had major potential for a fire."

Parents took all the children to the hospital and Bird said it appears that all six children are OK.