CHEMICAL ATTACK INJURES EIGHT IN CHILLICOTHE

CHILLICOTHE -- Police say a chemical attack by a man Thursday once
again illustrates the dangerous nature of the chemicals used to make
illegal drugs.

David W. Howard Jr., 29, of South Salem, has been charged with two
counts of felonious assault as a result of the 3 a.m. attack at an
apartment complex. Police Capt. Tom Hewitt said Howard is the person
who threw an unknown chemical on a man and a woman and caused them to
be sent to a Columbus hospital with chemical burns.

"The attack was drug-related," Hewitt said, adding the scene was
"mass chaos" when officers and firefighters arrived. The attack
apparently started after an argument on how to make methamphetamine,
and police say Howard threw the chemical.

The process can sometimes have explosive consequences as dangerous
chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia are used to make the drug. Still,
cookers are known to "cook" in their homes and cars, among other
places. The wrong combination of chemicals can cause a dangerous reaction.

Hewitt said items used to make drugs were found nearby in the car of
a suspect involved. The car is thought to be a mobile lab used for
cooking the drug.

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. Six people had been treated at
local hospitals.

Two firefighters also were treated as the result of inhaling fumes at
the scene.

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

A second man -- Robert S. Silcott, 29, of 2843 Ohio 207, Lot 26 --
was held in connection with a failure to appear warrant on a petty
theft charge, but he has not been charged with anything in connection
with the attack.