Couple accused of manufacturing meth with six children in residence

A Shelbyville couple is being held under a combined bond of a half million dollars -- both charged with 50 counts of child endangerment after authorities discovered six children living in a home where methamphetamine was allegedly being made.

Sandra Jean Mortimer and David Gordon Reid, Jr., both 33, are each being held on $250,000 bond on the 50 endangerment/abuse/neglect counts, which investigators said were a result of the number of times that the couple claimed they made the deadly drug.

Drug charges are also pending against the couple, who both listed a Central Avenue address.

Detective Capt. Becky Hord of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department told the T-G that she was called by a member of the 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force about a drug raid conducted last week on Warners Bridge Road involving an alleged meth lab.

Hord said that task force members discovered that a meth lab had been on the premises, and Reed allegedly told authorities that the cooking of the drug had been taking place inside the home where the children lived.

The detective described the children living in the home as twins under a year old, and four children ranging from ages 2 to 6.

Reed claimed to have been cooking meth in the house "before they moved in," Hord said, and added that the kids had been in the home "every time that they cooked" the drug.

Hord said that Reed told investigators that the kids were sleeping in their bedroom when the meth was allegedly being cooked, "which, I guess made it alright," Hord quipped about the suspect's explanation.

The detective added that there had also been a Department of Children's Service referral in connection with the allegations about a meth lab being present, but claims all that was done in that case was a warning about cleaning the home up.

Hord stated that members of the drug task force indicated there were 15 "cooks" or more on the property and she explained that the multiple endangerment counts against the couple were related to the number of children present and the alleged instances of making the drug in the home.

Meth dangers

According to the Department of Justice, a child living where a meth lab is present is exposed to both immediate dangers and the ongoing effects of chemical contamination.

The chemicals used to make the drug produces toxic fumes, and the by-products of a meth lab are dangerous as well.

Exposure to low levels of some meth ingredients may produce headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue; while exposure to high levels can produce shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, dizziness, lack of coordination, eye and tissue irritation, chemical burns (to the skin, eyes, mouth, and nose), and death.

Chronic exposure to the chemicals typically used in meth manufacture may cause cancer, damage the brain, liver, kidney, spleen, and immunologic system; and results in birth defects.

Also, normal cleaning will not remove methamphetamine and some of the chemicals used to produce it. The toxins may remain on eating and cooking utensils and the by products of meth manufacturing are often improperly disposed outdoors, further endangering children.

Approximately 15 percent of meth labs are discovered as a result of a fire or explosion, and careless handling of the chemicals and waste or unsafe manufacturing methods can cause the materials to burst into flames or explode.

Children living at meth laboratories are at increased risk for severe neglect and are more likely to be physically and sexually abused by members of their own family and known individuals at the site.

"Parents and caregivers who are meth dependent typically become careless, irritable, and violent, often losing their capacity to nurture their children," the Justice Department says.