KIDS LIVING DANGEROUSLY IN THE METH LAB STATE

Two-month-old Kallee Ann Jones was found dead on a couch in a South
Salt Lake apartment the day before Thanksgiving last year, surrounded
by methamphetamine.

When paramedics rolled the infant over to resuscitate her, they found
a tiny blue drug bag stuck to the corner of her mouth. Investigators
believe the baby died of suffocation when her mother passed out on top
of her on a couch. Twenty-year-old Misty Sorenson has been charged
with one count of child-abuse homicide for the negligent or purposeful
smothering of her daughter. Also last year, 39-year-old truck driver
Cindy Noorda Bithell plowed into five vehicles in Magna, killing one
motorist instantly and critically injuring several others. Police said
the driver had methamphetamine and other drugs in her system.

Methamphetamine abuse is among the leading causes of crime in Utah,
police say, leading to even more serious wrongdoings such as child
abuse and homicide. The highly addictive, toxic -- and cheap -- drug
gets cooked on home stoves across the nation, often while abusers'
children play in other rooms or the kitchen.

Utah is no exception. In 1997, the state ranked third in the country
for the total number of "clandestine" methamphetamine labs discovered
by police. Only California and Missouri had more lab busts than Utah.
But, per capita, Utah is ranked No. 1 in the nation for lab busts,
according to the latest Drug Enforcement Agency statistics.

And, for the past 18 months, even more methamphetamine has been making
its way from Mexico to the Beehive State, said DEA spokesman Don
Mendrala. All that translates into a big problem for Utah law officers
from St. George to Logan. West Valley City police Lt. Charles Illsley,
a 22-year veteran, puts it this way: "Longtime users [of
methamphetamine] arm themselves with guns, and it doesn't take much to
trigger violence." Illsley predicted the violence will continue,
noting there was nearly one meth lab discovered each day in the state
last year. Young children are particularly at risk when adults brew
toxic chemicals. For example, flasks containing poisonous mixtures
often are placed or stored near children's milk or food. Officers have
even found vials of drugs next to infants' bottles and pacifiers.

In a haunting example, Davdi Greg Dalton, 42, and Amy L. Dodds, 22,
were charged Friday with several crimes -- including child abuse --
involving the operation of a meth lab in a trailer behind their home.
When investigators busted the lab, they found red phosphorous -- a
toxic substance used in the manufacture of meth -- near the woman's
baby's crib in the basement. They also found a butane torch used for
smoking methamphetamine in the baby's car seat, according to court
documents filed in 3rd District Court.

Investigators also discovered ephedrine sitting on a low shelf with
food items as well as broken glass, sharp objects and open saw blades
on the floor. An elementary school is across the street from the
residence at 1380 S. 900 West in Salt Lake City.

If Dalton and Dodds are convicted on charges of operation of a
clandestine lab, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, child
abuse and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, they could each
spend life behind bars. Such scenarios are common because all that's
needed to start a meth lab are a few beakers and a stove. And all the
ingredients for the toxic brews are available at the neighborhood market.

"When mom is addicted to methamphetamine, we see a general degradation
in the home and a high level of filth," said Salt Lake City police Lt.
Zane Smith. "Mom starts to neglect children and [parents] tend to stop
providing food and adequate shelter."

Smith is the program manager for a methamphetamine task force that
tackles the issue of child endangerment and the drug. The program --
funded by a 2-year federal grant -- deals with public awareness,
identification of suspects and enforcement.

"Cocaine and heroine are still the most prevalent, but methamphetamine
is quickly catching up," Smith said. "Clearly, there is a toxicity and
a general volatile nature associated with meth labs that make homes
that contain them a dangerous place."

Prosecutors say 17-year-old Justin Pila likely would not have died
from a methamphetamine overdose on July 4 if his uncle, Richard
Kunishige, would have immediately called for help after he and the boy
swallowed the drug. Kunishige chose not to call 911 because he did not
want police to find the meth lab set up in his Salt Lake County
apartment, prosecutors contend. A homicide charge was dropped this
week, but Kunishige, 32, still faces prosecution for first-degree
felony operation of a clandestine lab and third-degree felony drug
possession.

The social costs of meth go beyond ruined health of abusers and their
children. Indeed, firefighters have seen a sharp upturn in
methamphetamine-related fires since the mid-1990s.

"The buzz word on fires right now is, `Did anyone notice any drug
paraphernalia?' " said Salt Lake County Fire Capt. Bill Brass. "In the
last 1 1/2 years, there has been a dramatic increase in fires caused
directly by the cooking process."

For example, a West Valley City apartment fire caused by someone
cooking meth in a unit last year forced the evacuation of several
families. "The cooking process is very volatile," Brass said. "If
something goes awry, the chemicals can be very explosive."

Local hospital emergency rooms have also shown a noticeable surge in
patients with methamphetamine-related symptoms in the last two years.
"The doctors and nurses in the E.R. indicate that in the last 18
months there has been about a 20 to 25 percent increase in meth
overdoses," said LDS Hospital spokesman Jess Gomez.

Last summer, federal officials announced a $600,000 grant to combat
methamphetamine production in Utah. White House drug official Gen.
Barry McCaffrey said methamphetamine is "the worst drug ever to appear
in America -- the poor man's cocaine."

"It's a tremendous threat to law enforcement," said the man who heads
the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and "a tremendous threat
to the environment from these cooking operations."