Toxic fumes floating around a former methamphetamine house apparently didn’t stop a Chattanooga man from breaking through the back door to steal whatever he could, police said.
Leonard Floyd Watts, 39, was charged Tuesday with burglary and violating a quarantine order after Chattanooga police officers found him inside an abandoned home at 19th and Lyerly streets. On March 17, the house was the scene of the third-largest methamphetamine bust on record in Hamilton County, police said.
Before Mr. Watts was taken to jail, he made a simple statement, according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Jerri Weary.
“He admitted to police that he was going in the house to get copper wiring and anything else of value because that’s just what he does,” Sgt. Weary said.
Mr. Watts has a lengthy criminal history, including four separate burglary charges in the last 20 years, according to court records. Among his previous charges are aggravated robbery, reckless endangerment, filing false reports and theft, records show.
During Tuesday’s arrest, everyone entering the house wore hazmat suits, and after catching Mr. Watts inside the house, officers made him strip off his clothes and put on a hazmat suit.
“That house is just as contaminated today as it was the day law enforcement seized the lab,” said Tommy Farmer, director of the Tennessee Meth Task Force. “If he’s getting into the wall for wiring or running around, we’ll take his clothes off and put him into something clean.”
MATERIALS FOUND IN METH LAB BUST* Coleman fuel* Muriatic acid* Liquid heat* Lye* Drano* Ephedrine* Glassware stained with methamphetamine residue
During the bust, multiple law enforcement agencies stuffed huge bags and buckets with chemicals commonly used in meth production. Based on the amount of waste found at the scene, the house was given the “most contaminated” rating from investigators, according to Mr. Farmer.
The house is under quarantine until several steps are completed — the house must be cleaned, then a state-approved industrial hygienist takes chemical samples. At that point, a determination will be made about future ownership or demolition.
Mr. Farmer said quarantine notices left on old meth labs fail to deter those looking to get rich from what’s left behind.
“The motivation is greed and money. There’s a price to be paid on copper,” he said. “People steal air conditioners off roofs of buildings just for the copper.
“The thought is nobody’s going to suspect it, nobody’s going to think about it, nobody’s going to care,” Mr. Farmer said. “It’s an abandoned house.”