Family's world shaken by former meth lab

Felix Doligosa Jr., Rocky Mountain News

Published February 20, 2006 at midnight

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A ringing telephone cut through the clamor of everyday life as Katrina Evans prepared cheese and crackers for hungry children in her Fort Collins home two years ago.

A local newspaper reporter was on the line with news the mother never expected to hear.

Her family's residence at 4020 Lynda Lane, the reporter had discovered, was listed on a Larimer County sheriff's Web site of former meth labs.

In the same basement room where Evans was operating a home day-care center - a room decorated with stickers of rectangles and squares and littered with toy blocks - a 31-year-old man had been brewing chemicals such as turpentine and iodine to make the white powdery drug.

The caller explained that living in a former meth lab can cause lasting health problems.

"This isn't funny," Evans remembers saying.

Now at least one lawmaker wants to make it clear that homeowner safety shouldn't be taken lightly.

Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, is working on rewriting legislation that would require sellers to disclose if their property was used as a meth lab.

"Knowing the long-lasting effects of toxins emitted by meth, the home is essentially turned into a toxic waste dump," Shaffer said.

"It is a problem that needs to be addressed."

But some property owners are lining up in opposition, worried that the proposal will decrease home sales and rentals and doesn't recognize that often they, too, are victims.

"We understand the health issues, but everyone is discounting the huge cost to property owners," said Jamie Glonek, director of government affairs for the Colorado Apartment Association.

"I don't see many meth users owning property."

Glonek said the bill should be more specific about who would be liable if the meth lab in the home predates the owner's purchase. He also questions whether the owner should have to disclose the information if he has cleaned the property according to state health standards.

"There are police records to find out about your home," he said.

"The disclosure will plague the property forever."

Residents face health danger

A study by the National Jewish Medical and Research Center found that high levels of iodine and phosphine are released during the meth cooking process.

Hydrochloric acid and methamphetamine can spread throughout surfaces, walls, countertops, tables, carpets, furniture and clothing.

One pound of meth equals about six pounds of hazardous waste, according to the North Metro Drug Task Force.

Residents living in a former meth lab can suffer long-term effects such as cancer; damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys; and birth defects and miscarriages, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Some symptoms of living in a former meth lab include headaches, nausea and shortness of breath.

"It's horribly dangerous," Nick Hodgdon, the owner of Crime Scene Cleaners, said of meth lab homes that have not been cleaned. "Little kids will have respiratory problems for the rest of their lives."

Residential meth labs occur more often than one might think because only one out of 10 labs is detected by authorities, said chemist Lynn Riemer, of the North Metro Drug Task Force.

"If you can make macaroni and cheese, you can make meth," Riemer said.

Since learning their home was stained with meth, the Evanses have taken a closer look at breathing problems and bouts of depression they suffered while living there.

Daughter Brookelyn Evans, 16 at the time, had chronic nosebleeds. Her room was in the basement, where several years before, a previous tenant mixed chemicals from a red cooler and dumped them down drains.

Even the family's 3-year-old Labrador, Jobe, became aggressive while in the home.

He was put to sleep because the Evanses couldn't figure out what was ailing him.

"We had no idea it had to do with the house," Evans said.

She and her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, Brian, bought the four-bedroom home in 2003.

The couple noticed the wooden stained exterior needed some remodeling and wondered about a fishing line running along the roof and the decision by a previous tenant to paint the basement windows black.

But the rest of the home looked decent, with repainted white rooms and clean green and black carpets.

The Evanses also were hooked by the $265,000 price tag.

A real estate agent told them the asking price was low because the former tenant sold marijuana out of the home, Evans said.

The family is now suing the real estate agency, alleging that it knew the truth.

"We should have seen something was wrong," Evans said. "We just thought we were getting a hell of a deal."

The family moved in and made several improvements, including constructing a building for Brian Evans' car restoration business and adding a wood-burning stove.

Katrina Evans ran a sign-making company and Kitty Caboose Childcare out of the home.

Since their unpleasant discovery, the Evanses have closed all three of their businesses and filed for bankruptcy. They had to spend several thousand dollars to clean up the home.

The pair ultimately divorced.

"It's completely destroyed my life," said Evans, who is supportive of the disclosure bill.

"This place should have been torn down and demolished. If you're living in a former meth lab, you have the right to know."

Owners criticize proposal

But critics of the proposal say residents are not the only ones affected by the meth lab disclosure bill.

Joyce Townsend, who rented out a Broomfield townhome she owned, did not realize what was happening on her property until she saw on a television newscast of her handcuffed tenant being led away by police and hazmat crews rushing into her property.

Officials searched the home at 19 Evergreen St. in August and found ingredients and equipment capable of producing about 1,000 grams of crystal meth.

Townsend was left with the cleanup bill.

Cleanup of a meth lab requires testing, venting of the home and stripping the walls and surfaces, Hodgdon said. Materials inside the home are cordoned off and disposed.

The total cleanup, including remodeling, can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000. The cleanup must also meet state health standards.

Townsend spent $1,350 for a chemical testing of the home and was looking to spend at least $30,000 to clean the unit. Working as a hairdresser with a retired husband, Townsend said it was too much for her only - and last - foray into real estate.

"Our insurance didn't cover anything," she said. "From a landlord perspective, it's difficult. Even if you do a credit check on the tenant, you can't be sure of what you're getting."

The townhome has since been foreclosed upon after several months of Townsend trying to find a willing buyer.

The stigma of the home's past proved to be too much.

"We needed to cut the bleeding. It could drain us forever," she said.

Townsend said her credit has been destroyed.

She supports the disclosure bill, but she feels there should be some sort of legislation that would help property owners financially.

"Right now, I am the victim," she said.

Meth lab signs

• Yellow discoloration on walls, drains, sinks and showers

• Blue discoloration on valves of propane tanks and fire extinguishers

• Fire detectors that are removed or taped off

• Experiencing physical symptoms while inside the house, such as burning in your eyes or throat, itching, a metallic taste in your mouth and breathing problems

• Unusual strong odors that smell like materials from a garage, such as solvent and paint thinner, cat urine or ammonia

• The use of security cameras and surveillance equipment

Signs that property owners should look for with their homes and tenants:

• Tenants who behave oddly and are extremely thin, have open sores, bad teeth or dilated pupils

• Large amounts of trash with items such as lithium batteries, torn-apart matchbooks, water bottles, cold medicine packs and antifreeze containers

• Discolored coffee filters that are not brown

• Plexiglas or other dark-colored cookware

• Glass containers with two layered liquids and chemistry setsSource: Chemist Lynn Riemer Of The North Metro Drug Task Force

doligosaf@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2970

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