Mother of the Year Almost Kills 12-Year-Old While Cooking Meth
Awful. Thankfully the child wasn’t injured but can we start sending our kids out of the house when we want to cook meth from now on? That would be great:
FOUNTAIN INN, S.C. — Laurens County deputies said that a woman was injured when a methamphetamine lab exploded early Friday morning.
The explosion happened at 443 Durbin Ridge Road.
Deputies said that a woman was dropped off at Hillcrest Hospital early Friday morning with burns to about 40 percent of her body, mainly on her arms and chest. They said the woman was flown to the Augusta Burn Center for treatment.
Investigators said that a 12-year-old was at the home at the time of the explosion, but was not injured.
Wolves would be better parents than this moron.
Site of Fountain Inn Double Murder Destroyed by Fire
A fire has gutted the home where investigators say Gentry Chapman shot and killed his wife Amanda Chapman and stepson Ashton Arnold in late November. The home at 5553 Allen Bridge Road in Fountain Inn was fully ablaze when firefighters arrived early Sunday morning.
The fire destroyed the home and is considered “suspicious,” Laurens County Sheriff Ricky Chastain told News Channel 7.
Gentry O’Neil Chapman Charged in Murder of Wife & Teen Stepson
Just after 4 a.m. Sunday, Gentry O’Neil Chapman called 911 to report that he had shot his wife and stepson to death at their Fountain Inn home. Laurens County investigators identified the victims as Amanda Chapman, 31, and her 17-year-old son Ashton Arnold. The boy was a varsity basketball player in his senior year at Hillcrest High School. Sunday was his 17th birthday.
After Amanda Chapman and Ashton Arnold suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head, Gentry Chapman reportedly fired several additional shots outside the home before turning himself in to authorities. Fox Carolina reports:
Gentry O’Neal Chapman, 32, of Fountain Inn, told dispatchers he was in his vehicle and leaving his home and was headed to the Fountain Inn Police Department to turn himself in, which he did, police said. He had two other children, ages 8 and 12, that he took with him to the Fountain Inn Police Department, but they were not harmed, police said.
The 8- and 12-year-old were identified as Gentry Chapman’s stepchildren, according to GoLaurens.com. Both children were at the home during the shooting. They are now in protective custody with the Department of Social Services.
Gentry Chapman attempted to explain the double homicide to authorities as an act of self-defense, Laurens County Sheriff Ricky Chastain told WYFF4. “But I think as the story goes on, we’re finding that there was probably some sort of argument with his wife, which led to him shooting her,” Chastain explained. News Channel 7 has more on the self-defense angle:
Chastain said that Chapman claims that the shooting was in self defense and had been abused by the two victims. However, Chastain says that evidence at the scene did not substaniate the self defense claim.
“The bodies were found in different parts of the house,“ Chastain said. “It appears there may have been some type of argument that turned violent.“
Chastain said there is no history of domestic violence at the home and neighbors remained in shock over the loss of two close friends.
The crime scene at 5553 Allen Bridge Road in Fountain Inn is being processed by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. A shotgun that may have been used in the killings has been recovered at the residence.
Gentry Chapman faces two counts of murder. He is being held at the Laurens County Detention Center as he awaits a Monday afternoon bond hearing.
Reported Gunshot Prompts Lockdown of Fountain Inn Elementary School
A teacher at Fountain Inn Elementary School contacted police early this afternoon to report what sounded like the boom of a shotgun outside the school. Fountain Inn Elementary, Fountain Inn Christian School, and a nearby day care were all locked down for a short time, Fountain Inn Police Chief Keith Morton told the Greenville News.
Police received the call at about 1 p.m. and have been searching the wooded area behind the school building, Morton said.
“We had a teacher call and we talked to one neighbor behind the school who said they heard a loud boom and it sounded like a shotgun,” Morton said. “We’re just checking to make sure that nobody’s outside shooting. We haven’t found anything.”
Chief Morton said all children were accounted for. He suspected someone in the woods was shooting at a squirrel.
It was not immediately clear how the police chief arrived at that conclusion. Why does he believe the shooter was targeting a squirrel and not a fox, a rabbit, or a cheating husband? Inquiring minds want to know, but the Greenville News isn’t filling in the blanks.
The lockdown was lifted at about 2 p.m.
Home Based Meth Labs Found in Greer and Fountain Inn
Two couples in the area have been arrested for cooking methamphetamine in their homes recently. One couple had children at home at the time:
LAURENS, S.C. — A Fountain Inn couple is accused of cooking methamphetamine around their children.
Randall and Tracy King were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of drugs and improperly disposing of chemicals on Thursday.
Deputies said that they received a tip about the drug activity at the couple’s home on Meadowland Drive. They said that they found materials inside the home consistent with making the drug. They said the same type of materials were also found in a building outside the home.
The Kings’ children were placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services.
Investigators said that the couple could also be charged with child endangerment.
Fox Carolina also has a video report.
A couple from Greer was also found cooking meth in their home, which was located dangerously close to a school:
GREENVILLE, S.C. — A Greer couple has been charged with manufacturing methamphetamine after deputies searched their home on Oct. 30.
Deputies said that when they searched the home at 120 Valley Forge Drive they found items that are commonly associated with making and selling methamphetamine.
Roger Durham, 38, and Vicki Durham, 41, were each charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute within a half-mile of a school.
Roger Durham was released on $75,000 bond. Vicki Durham was being held at the Greenville County Detention Center on $75,000 bond.
E. Richard Walton has a fairly comprehensive report at The Greenville News, including the fact that the lab was less than a quarter mile from an elementary school. Ignore the awkward language if you can.
Easy to cook with minimal time and equipment, meth is making inroads into almost every community. The cooking process is so toxic and dangerous that these labs have literally endangered the lives of everyone in the immediate vicinity. In addition to the unpredictability of users and the criminality of addicts, the meth trade brings the additional threat of highly flammable laboratories which spew poisonous chemicals into the area. They are set up where ever cookers can find space. Unfortunately, basements and garages in residential areas are well suited for this dangerous activity.