Pubdate: Wed, 12 May 2004 Source: Watauga Democrat (NC) Copyright: 2004 Appalachian Technologies, Inc. Contact: http://www.wataugademocrat.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2322 Author: Scott Nicholson Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) CASUALTY OF METH Darien South responded to a house fire at 234 Holly Hills in Deep Gap which damaged his life forever, and now his family hopes to prevent others from suffering the same fate. South, a volunteer firefighter, felt heat after the fire appeared to be out, so he opened an access panel to see if the fire was smoldering beneath the floor. A blast of chemical gas rushed over his face, and he almost immediately lost his breath, had a severe headache and began coughing up blood. He was transferred to the hospital, suffering respiratory failure on the way. He spent the next six days at the hospital, four of them in intensive care. South had suffered exposure to phosphene gas and hydrochloric gas, among other by-products of a methamphetamine lab found at the home. Christopher Lee Greene was charged with several counts in relation to the lab. Last week, he was found guilty of manufacturing a Schedule II drug and possession of immediate precursor chemicals with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a controlled substance. He was found not guilty on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. That charge was added in response to South's injury. Greene was sentenced to 20 to 24 months in prison for the two convictions. Meanwhile, South has been under a doctor's care since that night and is disabled, having lost 45 percent of his lung capacity. South testified at the trial about his injuries, and said he isn't bitter about Greene's sentence but wishes there were tougher laws to inhibit other would-be meth cooks. "With the laws the way they are, the judicial system can't do anything with them (offenders)," South said. "I've not been angry or held a grudge, but he gets two years and I've got the rest of my life to deal with it." South's mother, Mary South, had started a petition campaign last year asking for tougher penalties for meth lab offenders. Part of the problem is that offenders are often back out and cooking again, creating a vicious and dangerous cycle. Mary plans to take the petitions to Raleigh and present them to the General Assembly. She estimates she has collected about 1,300 signatures. Mary South has already sent 225 letters to state Sen. Virginia Foxx and state Rep. Gene Wilson asking for their support. In January, she met with Ashe and Watauga commissioners, who adopted resolutions asking for the tougher laws. She sent copies of the resolution to all 100 counties, though not all have adopted it. While the petition drive started long before Greene's trial, Mary said, "I am very disappointed that the jury didn't find the defendant guilty of the bodily injury assault charge. Through his disregard of the law, the defendant was manufacturing meth, the chemicals caught fire and the toxic gases produced caused permanent damage to my son. "This man is going to spend only two years in prison for what he has done. Yet through his criminal act he has put my son in a form of prison for the rest of his life. "In my opinion, he should have been charged with the bodily injury assault as well as with robbery because my son has been robbed of his health," she said. Darien can't work, though he is receiving benefits from several fire fighters' associations. He's constantly on medication to prevent pneumonia, has regular shots and must carry an inhaler to keep his air waves open. He has breathing tests every two months that show his lung capacity continues to decline. "A lot of times I feel like I'm suffocating," he said. He also had nasal surgery to remove scar tissue that lessened his ability to breath. He sometimes has to stay in bed for two or three days at a time, and is not supposed to lift more than 30 pounds. If he's ever cleared to return to work, he'll be limited to desk jobs. "I can't get out and play with my three kids," he said. He said he's concerned that other emergency responders and law enforcement officers will face the same dangers as meth labs proliferate. "It's a big danger," South said, listing some of the toxic substances found at the scene where he was injured. The list included toluene, murietic acid, hydrogen peroxide, acetone, antifreeze and red phosphorous from the strike plates of matches, among other things. There were 18 reported injuries in the state last year among people responding to meth lab fires or conducting investigations, though Darien was the most severely injured among them. "I won't be able to fight fires again," he said. He had wanted to be a fireman since he was a boy, and still stays in touch with his friends in the Deep Gap Fire Department. He hopes to get his emergency medical technician certification. Mary has been in contact with N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper about tougher laws and said Cooper plans to present new laws for the short session of the General Assembly. She said while the proposed laws are welcome, she hasn't seen anything in them that addresses injuries to emergency personnel and law officers. She said it wasn't fair to ask fire fighters to take the risk unless the laws supported them. "We owe it to our law enforcement officers, our emergency personnel and our fire fighters to do all we can to see this doesn't happen again," she said. "This (petition) will show our legislature that we as citizens have a right to be protected from these meth offenders by putting into place stronger laws that will prevent them from being arrested and then turned loose again to do the same thing over again." Mary South plans to present the petitions to the legislature next month. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh