POINT PLEASANT — With an American flag hanging in a neatly kept yard, feet away from a crosswalk leading to Point Pleasant Primary School, the home where two alleged meth labs were found this week doesn’t look the part.
Where meth lives appears to be changing with the times. No longer is it found just in rural areas but in the middle of small towns, like Point Pleasant. As law enforcement officers put it, “it’s everywhere.”
The unassuming home has now been condemned. According to the Lt. Steven Greene of the Mason County Sheriff’s Department, on Tuesday the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Public Health tagged the residence in the 2200-block of Lincoln Ave. as condemned. The City of Point Pleasant had earlier tagged it as well, preventing anyone from entering.
The law in West Virginia states if a meth lab is found in a home or building, that dwelling must be evacuated and either cleaned in a very specific way mandated by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, or it is to be torn down. All of the costs associated with either cleaning or tearing down a dwelling are to be shouldered by the property owner.
As previously reported, on Monday, officers with the sheriff’s department received information about the alleged activity at the home and upon entering found what was believed to be a shake and bake meth lab in the basement as well as one just outside the basement. As a result of this, Clinton David Weethee, 32, Point Pleasant, was arrested and charged with operating or attempting to operate a meth lab.
Greene said there were several other people in the home besides Weethee, who is not the homeowner, but he was reportedly living at the residence. It’s possible more arrests could be pending though none had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
Greene confirmed there were two young children who appeared under the age of 10 also in the home. These children were not Weethee’s and were taken into custody by child protective services and taken to a local hospital to be examined. It’s believed this was just as a precautionary measure. Many people who are exposed to meth or live in a residence where it is allegedly manufactured typically go through a decontamination process (showers, disposal of clothing) due to the toxicity of the chemicals used to make the drug.
Weethee’s bond was set at $100,000 and he was taken to the Western Regional Jail where he remained housed as of Tuesday evening.
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