'METH' LEAVES TRAIL OF WRECKED HOMES AND DESERTED CHILDREN

If you think the problem of methamphetamine can be swept under a rug
in hopes it will just go away, think again. "Meth" is prevalent here
in Coffee and surrounding counties and the manufacture and use of the
illegal substance in its various forms is leaving in its wake
destroyed homes, families and deserted children.

One of those children - an eight-month-old baby - has recently been
placed in permanent custody with a Winchester couple, the baby's next
of kin, after several months in foster care.

As soon as the baby was born, he was taken from the hospital by the
Department of Children's Services and placed in foster care until a
kinship home became available.

The baby's biological father was charged with manufacturing
methamphetamine and his mother charged with supplying materials to the
father for the manufacture of the addictive substance prior to the
baby's birth.

The offending parents were given several months to work out a plan
proving they could provide a stable home for the child, but did not
follow through, according to the new guardian.

Due to the sensitive subject matter, the couple asked not to be
identified and will be referred to as the "Smiths."

"They had almost a year to straighten up and they didn't," Mrs. Smith
said.

"We got a lawyer to file an intervene petition for
custody.

"The lawyer was required to deliver it to the parents and from there,
the court date was set," she said.

The Winchester couple was granted full custody of the child based on
information provided to the deciding judge from their attorney, the
child's attorney and DCS.

"It was easy for the judge to give us custody because the parents had
been before him several times on other charges," Mrs. Smith said. "We
didn't even have to go before the judge."

The foster parents who had raised the baby from his first days were
not happy about the situation, but Mrs. Smith said she thought it best
for him to be in a permanent home with family.

"They are foster parents of other children and operate a licensed day
care facility," Mrs. Smith said. "With us, he is the only child and
gets all the attention.

"And I feel like that's better for him since his biological parents
aren't there.

"He's very happy," she added. "Now we're hoping to terminate parental
rights and adopt."

The Smiths have been told by doctors that they will be unable to have
children of their own.

"That's the worst news you could ever hear," Mrs. Smith said. "I think
God knew the baby was going to need a home. It's like that's what I
was meant to do."

In another case involving methamphetamine, a Tullahoma couple, also
requesting anonymity, has for several months been caring for children
separated from their parents following a meth lab raid at their home.

Not only are the fumes released while cooking the meth toxic to the
children, posing a long-term health threat, but the chemicals can
easily explode if one wrong move is made, placing the children in
eminent danger.

If the concoction is mixed improperly, it could result in cyanide gas,
which is fatal if inhaled.

Although they have children of their own, the Tullahoma couple agreed
to take the siblings in.

They have grown attached to the children and the hardest part, they
said, is waiting to see if the parents will serve time in jail or if
the children will be given back to them.

The couple will be referred to as the Greenes.

According to DCS workers, some meth offenders roam free for more than
a year during trial preparations.

If they do serve time in jail, they can't wait to get out to finish
what they started, Mrs. Greene said, referring to the meth labs.

"I just wish the system worked better against meth offenders," she
said.

"The justice system doesn't send a strong enough message to make it
safer for the rest of the community.

"They (courts) should punish them sooner. It's not fair to the foster
parents or the children.

"That's the cycle these kids are learning to live with -
disappointment after disappointment," she said.

"The justice system should work with DCS better and support the police
who obtain the evidence and catch these people, risking their lives
busting meth labs," Mrs. Greene said.

The number of women choosing to use meth while carrying their unborn
children shows meth's strangle-hold on some users.

While long-term effects of meth-addicted babies are unknown at this
time, several birth defects are associated with meth use by the mother
during gestation, including a smaller than normal heart.

Although the problem of methamphetamine is not a new one, it is
constantly evolving, according to Billy Cook, criminal investigator
for the 14th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Manchester.

Methamphetamine labs began emerging approximately six years ago in
Coffee County, Cook said.

At first, the problem was large labs manufacturing vast quantities of
the drug.

Federal indictments and lengthy prison terms for large lab operators
has led to a shift to smaller box labs that are easily transported to
meth sites, such as hotels, Cook said.

Although he recognizes that the manufacturing of meth is a serious
problem, he does not believe the situation is "out of control."

"We're working on it daily. We're doing exactly what needs to be
done," he said.