Authorities say a Jackson County man was seriously burned in an explosion at a house near Marianna Saturday, and that the explosion was caused by an attempt to produce methamphetamine.
An investigation into the matter is still under way and criminal charges are forthcoming in the case, authorities said Monday.
According to a press release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Drug Task Force, a 911 call was placed Saturday in reference to a house fire at 4368 Lee Road.
No flames were visible when emergency and law enforcement crews arrived. But a portion of the front wall had been pushed out of place and the glass was broken in the front and side windows of the house, authorities reported.
Firefighters who went into the home told officers it appeared an explosion had taken place in the front bedroom of the home.
Witnesses told authorities they saw Carlton Wayne Key running from the house, and that it appeared he had serious burns on his body.
Officers soon learned that a neighbor had taken Key to Jackson Hospital. Key was subsequently transported to a burn center due to the severity of his burns.
Authorities also learned that a child and two more adults were in the house when the explosion occurred.
The youngster was later located at a home near Alford, and has been turned over to the Department of Children and Families. The child was also taken to Jackson Hospital for an evaluation.
The woman who had allegedly been in the house, Angela Renee Locke, and the other named adult, Anthony William Neel, were found in a field near the residence. The Florida Highway Patrol assisting Jackson County authorities in the search for Neel and Locke.
Neel had burns on his arms and face, but refused medical care, authorities said. Locke had outstanding warrants for her arrest on worthless check charges. She was placed in the Jackson
County jail after being found, according to the press release.
The Jackson County Drug Task Force had been summoned to the scene of the explosion on suspicion that a methamphetamine lab had caused it.
A search of the residence “revealed several items that are commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine,” according to the press release.
The Jackson County Drug Task Force is the combined efforts of the Marianna, Cottondale and Graceville police departments, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, including the Proactive Criminal Enforcement Unit, or PACE.
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