Published: June 24, 2008 11:02 am      

Two charged following explosion at house near police, fire departments

Two men have pleaded not guilty to felony charges which allege they were attempting to manufacture drugs in a house across the street from the McAlester police and fire departments.

Jason Alan Morris, 24, of McAlester, and Colton John Courts, 18, from the Haywood area, were each charged Friday in Pittsburg County District Court with one count of attempting to manufacture a controlled substance.

Morris was also charged with a felony count of possession of controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Bond for each was set at $20,000. The bond was posted for Morris, but as of very early this morning, Courts was still being held at the Pittsburg County Jail.

Both men are due back in court July 11 for a preliminary hearing.

Police first learned of the alleged manufacturing plot when an explosion rocked a house in the 300 block of North First Street in the early morning hours on Thursday.

Firefighters didn’t have far to go when the report of fire and explosion was reported. It didn’t take long for responders to realize they were dealing with a suspected meth lab.

There is also a chapel and a church within 50 yards of where the alleged meth lab was located.

No injuries were reported from the fire and explosion, but personnel from the McAlester police and fire departments, plus the Drug Enforcement Agency, responded to the scene.

The house where the suspected lab was found is close enough to city hall that Fire Chief Harold Stewart can see it when he looks out his office window. Why hadn’t anyone at the fire or police department noticed the alleged activity? The fire chief said people who operate meth labs do so at night, not during the daytime.

One of the tell-tale signs of meth production is the acrid chemical smell. Did anyone at City Hall ever smell anything? Stewart said at this time of year, the prevailing winds are out of the south, southwest and southeast. That puts the police and fire departments down wind of the house in question.