MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT IN CHEMICAL ATTACK

CHILLICOTHE -- A Ross County man was charged with two counts of
felonious assault after he sprayed a corrosive chemical in an
apparent drug-related incident at an apartment complex today.

David W. Howard Jr., 29, of South Salem, was charged by Chillicothe
police in connection with the 3 a.m. incident in the 900 block of Sherman Park.

Capt. Tom Hewitt said Howard is the person who threw the chemical on
a man and woman, now at The Ohio State University Medical Center in
Columbus, where they were taken by medical helicopter after the incident.

A second man -- Robert S. Silcott, 29, -- was held in connection with
a failure to appear warrant on a petty theft charge, but has not been
charged with anything in connection with the attack.

In all, eight people were injured in the attack -- including a child
hospitalized with breathing problems after inhaling the chemical --
but some refused treatment, Hewitt said.

As of 1 p.m., six people had been treated at local hospitals. Two
firefighters were also treated as the result of inhaling fumes at the scene.

The names of the victims were not released. Police believe they know
what chemical was sprayed, but are waiting to release the information
until tests confirm the substance.

Hewitt said items used to make drugs were found in the car of a
suspect involved and also said the incident began after an argument
on how to make methamphetamine.

"The attack was drug-related," Hewitt said, adding the scene was
"mass chaos" when officers and firefighters arrived.

The complex is located in the northeast area of Chillicothe, just off
of King Street.

The Chillicothe Fire Department and the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force both