Two held on meth charges
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on March 5, 2010 1:46 PM
DUDLEY -- Chemical analysis shows a meth lab was in operation before an April house fire that killed 26-year-old Dennis "Allen" Anderson Jr., and authorities are deciding whether additional charges should be filed in connection with his death.
Wayne County Sheriff's Office Capt. Tom Effler said Thursday that the case has been turned over to District Attorney Branny Vickory to decide if two people who escaped the fire will face additional charges.
Lisa Joy Hood, 34, of Summerlin's Crossroads, Mount Olive, and Adam Wayne Outlaw, 24, already face one count each of manufacturing methamphetamine.
They were both jailed this week without privilege of bond, with Outlaw arrested on Thursday and Ms. Hood on Wednesday.
At the time of the fire, Ms. Hood and Outlaw said that Anderson was behind them as they made their way out of the burning home.
"The information we received was that they saw him (Anderson) behind them when they were going out, but when they got out, they couldn't see him (any) more," Effler said the day after the fire.
The home in question, at 319 Camp Trailee Road, was "fully involved" when Mar Mac Fire Chief Bill Harrell and firefighters from Arrington and Dudley arrived, Harrell said at the time.
When firefighters cleared the scene, little was left of the home. Firefighters said it took at least 10 trips to a nearby hydrant to get enough water to extinguish the fire, which had started sometime before 6 a.m. on April 9, 2009.
"It had already fallen in when I got here," Harrell said at the scene. "It'd been burning a while ... It must have been burning a long time before they called it in."
Cpl. Chris Peedin filed the methamphetamine manufacture-related charges after information came back from the State Bureau of Investigation.
Effler said he could not be specific with details about evidence that led authorities to charge Ms. Hood and Outlaw with manufacturing meth.
"Honestly, I can't tell you about what evidence was collected," Effler said. "They did a chemical analysis on some of the things they found in the house, and between (Peedin's) knowledge of it and the examination by the laboratory, they were able to determine the lab was in there at the time."
The SBI is automatically called in whenever a house fire involves a death.
"It's still being investigated," Effler said. "The district attorney is being consulted to see if there are any more charges that are going to be (filed)."