By Candy Webb
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William Franklin Futrell, 26, and Malinda Pearl Futrell, 30, 399 Franklin Road, were arrested and charged with child neglect, manufacturing Schedule II drugs, possession of schedule II drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia after authorities allegedly stumbled into a meth lab on the Futrell property Tuesday afternoon. Deputies were called to the property to assist Department of Children’s Services on a child welfare check. Upon arrival, officers allege that they could smell a strong chemical odor on the property, there were pills in the house and people were hiding. Within minutes of arriving, authorities also observed evidence of meth lab tools and chemicals and from there, things moved very quickly. “The main danger is that chemicals used to produce meth are very combustible and can cause an explosion,” said Sheriff Office, Major Don Linzy. “Also, those chemicals are very toxic. When you approach a meth lab and see that all of the vegetation around the property is dead because of the fumes, that stuff can’t be good for people to breathe in.” Three children Linzy described, “from toddlers to teens” in age range were on the property at the time and have been taken into DCS custody.
“To expose children to the things involved with manufacturing meth is neglectful, “ said Linzy. “Subjecting them to that is just wrong.”
Drug Task Force was notified and arrived at the scene, as well as a private company trained in the clean up of chemicals.
According to Linzy, the actual lab was not located in the home, but was in a camper on the property and involved some “old school” materials, including batteries, Exederine and Coleman lantern fuel.
Once the Futrell’s were in custody, authorities required them to go through a shower process and don specialized suits before being allowed to enter the jail.
“We didn’t want the inmates or corrections officers exposed to any contaminates they may have brought in on their person from being exposed while cooking meth,” said Linzy.
Linzy said there have been several meth labs busted throughout Sumner County over the years and encourages community members to call their local police department if they suspect someone is running a lab in their area.
“The first thing many people notice is the odor of ether,” said Linzy. “It smells almost like a strong paint fume.”
In addition to a strong chemical odor, meth lab properties will often have batteries strewn about, trash containing lots of cold tablet boxes and fuel such as starter fluid, lantern fuel and liquid fire, and lots of traffic with people coming and going and not staying long.
“If you see this type of thing or you smell that strong odor in your neighborhood, call the police, let them check it out,” said Linzy. “It is better to have it checked out than to ignore it.”
The Futrell’s remain in jail under a $250,000 bond each. They are scheduled to appear in Sumner County General Sessions Court on Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. |
